Mending Mistakes
by the dreamer
Summary: Sakura lied, saying she was soon to be married to her boss. Now her late father had left her large inheritance under the name of 'Sakura Li'. Her boss had never even spoken to her, let alone proposed for marriage. What's a girl to do? Make him fall in love with her of course.
1. Little White Lie

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

I hope you guys enjoy this as much as you did my last story, **Lies and Love**. Thank you again to my dear readers for the (currently) 1,116 reviews I got for that story.

You guys are the best! Okay, moving on!

* * *

**Chapter One**

**"Little White Lie"**

* * *

"Ready to order sir?"

The middle-aged man looked up at the finely-dressed waiter and shook his head with a smile.

"I'm still waiting for my daughter," he informed, making him bow and take his leave to serve other customers in the restaurant.

Fujitaka looked around him, the restaurant was fancy. Too fancy in fact. Never in his life would he have imagined that he could afford to dine in such a luxurious place. But then again, a lot has happened in the past years.

'A lot indeed,' he thought to himself with a little smile until a familiar voice at the podium set up near the entrance took his attention.

A young lady, dressed in a sleeveless magenta ruffled blouse, black slacks and a pair of high heels of the same color as her blouse was talking to the man in a suit standing behind the podium.

Fujitaka smiled and raised his arm in the air just as the man pointed in his direction.

The lady smiled a huge smile before thanking the man and headed her way to their table.

"Father!" she said in a cheerful tone before hugging him tightly around the waist.

"It's great to see you again Sakura," Fujitaka whispered, hugging his only daughter, and only child for that matter. "You look even more beautiful now than the last time I've seen you!"

Sakura looked up at him and grinned before pulling back. "And you look even more handsome than the last time I've seen you!" she declared before a frown appeared on her features. "And thinner," she pointed out, "We only saw each other a week ago, aren't you eating well enough lately?"

Fujitaka chuckled lightly before waving off her statement and sitting back down on his chair. "Take a seat and let's order."

As if he's been eavesdropping their entire conversation, the waiter from earlier appeared instantly by their sides, handing them both menus. The father and daughter both ordered what they wanted and watched the waiter disappear to the kitchens before resuming conversation.

"So, how have you been this week?" Fujitaka asked, not wanting to resume their previous conversation.

Sakura smiled brightly at him. "Great! I've just been promoted, well, sort of. My boss told me about it this morning. My services are needed and I'll be working in another department next week, so now I have two jobs, but I was told to prioritize this new one for now. Although it's only temporary, but who knows where this will take me," she told him excitedly. 'And the new boss being too handsome for words isn't bad too,' she added in her thoughts. That wasn't something her father needed to know of course.

"I'm so proud of you," Fujitaka said, enjoying his daughter's happiness immensely.

"How about you? How have you been?"

"You know, same old, same old."

"Still reeling in the cash?" Sakura asked with a raise of a brow and a grin.

Fujitaka laughed at this. "I suppose you can say that. But you know how I am Sakura, I never spend the money I earn needlessly."

"I know," she replied with a small smile. "But I wish you would though. You know, spend a bit for yourself. Like, take a vacation of something. You of all people deserve it dad. You've worked yourself to death for the past years after all."

"I don't need material things to be happy Sakura. At my age, material things don't matter. That's suited more for you younger folks."

"Dad, you're only like, fifty four years old. Although you can't be considered as one of the 'younger folk' as you put it, you aren't that old either," she pointed out.

"I know, but there's only one thing left that would really make me happy," he said although in an unsure voice.

Sakura immediately knew what he was going to say. This was her and her father's routine. They go out for lunch or dinner once every three months. They've done this ever since she moved to Tokyo for work and left him in Tomoeda where he works as a college professor if he wasn't out on his trips overseas for expeditions.

Lately though, her father's been insisting they go out more frequently. Last month, they had dinner twice. And this month, they've had dinner four times already, every Friday night since the first week. And every time they were out, there was a particular topic he always brought up.

She looked up at her father almost awkwardly, expecting him to say it.

"And that is to see you happily married," he said with a smile, making Sakura sigh in exasperation. That was it, his one true wish. The one thing he kept mentioning to her for almost 5 months now. Her marriage.

"Dad," she responded, almost in a whiney tone. "You know I-"

Fujitaka held up a hand to silence her, which she did immediately.

"I know what you're going to say Sakura, you've told me the same thing ever since I started telling you to get married."

Sakura, in spite of herself, smiled as he said this.

"Which is why I've taken matters into my own hands," he added with a grin.

That was something new. Sakura could almost feel her jaw fall and hit the table beneath her, her face holding an expression of pure disbelief.

"What?" she asked, trying not to scream.

"I've already contacted a few of your old classmates," he said, sounding excited. "Some of them didn't agree, but a few of them are willing to see you, to catch up. Of course, I didn't tell them you were going to marry them, but this is a start."

She looked at her father with a horrified look on her face.

"Y-You contacted my old classmates? From Tomoeda? Oh my God!" she cried out loud, earning a few looks from the people seated close to their table.

Fujitaka bowed his head at them and apologized before turning to his daughter. "Keep your voice down, you're getting unwanted attention," he scolded in a whisper.

Leaning forward on the table, Sakura glared at him slightly with a pout on her glossy pink lips. "_You're_ the one who's getting unwanted attention! I can't believe you actually called up my old classmates from Tomoeda!" she hissed.

"I didn't have a choice. You seemed like you weren't at all interested in getting a husband. You're already 26 years old Sakura, it's time to think about settling down," he told her in a serious tone, making her frown. "If you won't find suitable husbands for yourself, then I'll do it for you!"

Sakura moaned, letting her head fall onto her arms on the table. Her father's actually planning to arrange a marriage for her? The era for arranged marriages has long past, these were modern times, modern days. The last time she ever heard of arranged marriages from her family was…well, never.

"Dad, you can't do this to me," Sakura told him with a pleading look on her face. "Arranged marriages always end badly. You've seen it on movies and they say so on the news too. There are reports of unhappy couples resulting in divorce! Or suicide! Or even worse, murder!"

Worry crossed Fujitaka's eyes as she said this, and Sakura saw it. Taking the opportunity, Sakura started working up her defense.

"Do you really want to make me unhappy dad? Do you really want me to end up having a divorce? Or to commit suicide? Or to commit murder?" she pressed, biting the smile threatening to appear on her lips at the ludicrousness of her words.

Fujitaka raised a brow at her. He knew Sakura all too well than to ever commit suicide, let alone commit murder. As for divorce, she was a sweet girl; he knew she'll manage to carry on a decent enough marriage.

"That won't work on me Sakura, you're getting yourself a husband and that's that. Unless you find yourself a respectable husband on your own, then I'll tell your old high school classmates that you'll see them for lunch or dinner sometime next week."

"B-But I do have a respectable husband coming up!" Sakura blurted out without thinking. Just the mere mention of her having to meet and actually talk to her old classmates, and even worse, her high school classmates, was enough to send her to say anything that might stop him.

"You have a respectable husband coming up?" Fujitaka repeated in complete surprise.

Sakura fidgeted in her seat, racking her brain for anything to cover for the straight-forward, thoughtless lie she had just told her father. She sighed and swept her bangs from her face and looked at him determinedly and a fake smile on her lips.

"Yes, I do. I-I didn't want to tell you because you might make a-a big deal out of it, that's all," she said with a firm nod of her head as if she too actually believed it.

"Really now? Who is this man? Where did you meet him?" he asked, very interested.

She laughed awkwardly and gulped. "Err…I met him at work. H-He's a great guy really. You know, nice, hardworking, serious but fun to be with, rich, and handsome of course."

"I'm very happy to hear that Sakura! What's his name? When will I get to meet this fine young man?"

"You can't!" she shouted immediately, surprising her father. "H-He's really busy you see. I mean, you know, work and all. He has a much higher rank than me at work, and I'm busy enough a-as it is. So he's even much, much, much busier than me."

Fujitaka nodded in understanding before smiling at her, looking contented now than he had for all those times they've had dinner together.

"What is his name?" he asked yet again.

This time, Sakura couldn't avoid it. She's avoided it because even she didn't know the name of her supposed-soon-to-be-husband because he doesn't even exist!

"Sakura?" Fujitaka asked, seeing that his daughter was in a mental battle against herself.

"Li!" Sakura blurted out without thinking. She mentally slapped herself as the name sunk into her.

"Li? So he's Chinese then? What's his complete name?" he inquired.

"Uhm…Xiao Lang, Li Xiao Lang," Sakura muttered almost regretfully. "W-We usually call him Syaoran though," she added in a resigned voice, remembering the information written on one of the many profile sheets her current boss had given her earlier that day.

"Li Xiao Lang, huh? Well, I'm happy for you Sakura! So, how serious are you with him? When are you having your wedding?"

"Uhh…before my next birthday I guess. I mean, I told him I didn't want to be twenty seven when I get married to him," she said with a small smile, making her father laugh lightly and nod in agreement.

"That's good, very good. I can't wait! It would be wonderful to have a spring wedding, but then again, that would mean you would get married around March next year, that's too late in my opinion. Although, having a winter wedding really isn't that bad. It could be quite romantic for both of you, with the snow and all. Don't you agree?" he asked.

Sakura could tell that her father was really into it. Now she was guilty.

"Look dad, about that, I-"

"Your order sir and madam," the waiter interrupted with a bow.

Both looked up as the man slowly set up their dishes in front of them and their drinks beside their plates.

"I'm really happy for you Sakura. Really I am," Fujitaka said as the waiter left. "But let's talk about this later. You must be famished from all the work you've done today. Let's eat!"

Sakura sent a small smile to her father before picking up her fork and knife and silently started to cut up her food.

'At least he's happy,' she thought to herself with a glance at her now more cheerful looking father. 'A little white lie shouldn't hurt.'

At that point, she had no idea just how wrong she was.

* * *

"What's this?" he asked, taking the folder from his secretary.

"Your new secretary Mr. Li," the 34 year old woman said with a smile. "You always said you needed a new secretary on board, specifically a bilingual one."

"_All_ my secretaries are bilingual Josie, you all have to be. But true, I did ask for a new one. So, this…" Syaoran skimmed through the pages and read her profile sheet, "…Kinomoto, Sakura can speak fluent French?"

"Not just French," Josie said with a pleased look on her face. "She's multilingual. Besides, Japanese and French, she can speak fluent English and Chinese too!" she informed him almost excitedly.

Syaoran raised a brow at this. "Then that would mean I wouldn't need you or Tai anymore."

Josie frowned, now a worried look on her face as he said this.

Shaking his head of messy chocolate brown hair at her, he smirked before looking down at the profile sheet on his desk.

"You're not fired, neither is Tai. You both know I still need you, even if the new secretary's fluent in English and Chinese. You may leave now though," he said, now with his businesslike tone.

Josie bowed and left his office. She and Tai were two of Syaoran's three secretaries. She was fluent in Japanese and English, Tai was fluent in Japanese and Chinese while the third secretary, Mia, was fluent in Spanish and English. They all had the same purpose as being the CEO's secretaries. Doing secretarial duties were a given, but when he had to deal with the many other branches under Li Corp. in different countries, he needed them to stand by and take notes with him during his meetings or translate files that come in.

Syaoran looked at the woman's photo interestedly. Her emerald eyes were bright and her pink lips were curved upwards in a sweet smile, she looked quite…exotic. Her wavy honey brown hair was held up behind her head so he didn't know how long it was, but the color of her eyes and hair, matched with the nicely defined face and her high cheekbones, were enough for him to conclude that she really was beautiful.

Of course, it was just a picture. Her personality could be quite different, and for him, it didn't matter if she were a beauty if her personality was that of a brainless and naïve teenager. But he knew well enough though from her profile that the woman in the picture is smart. Not everyone can be fluent in four languages, especially not at the age of 26 years old, and the rest of the details written of the organizations she was part of since college were impressive as well.

"Sakura Kinomoto..."

* * *

"I love my job," Sakura said with a sigh as she leaned back into her high-back chair and closed her eyes.

A giggle was heard in reply to this.

"What's so funny Tomoyo?" she asked with one open eye looking pointedly at the woman about her age who was standing by the door to her office.

"Nothing, you amuse me that's all," Tomoyo replied with a grin. "So when are you moving up?"

"I don't know, I thought I was starting last week. But it's almost two weeks already since Hizumi-san gave me the news and still nothing. But I don't mind the delay, Hizumi-san said it's only a temporary job anyway," she replied with a shrug. "I thought it was going to be a big deal at first. You know, working directly for the CEO but Hizumi-san only just told me yesterday that I'm just going to do secretarial duties."

"What's wrong with that?"

Sakura raised a brow at her. "You do know that the man's already got three other secretaries? And all three of them are way older than I am too. I thought the job's going to be different, more important or something, but turns out I'm just going to play secretary number four."

Tomoyo shook her head, her brows knitted together in puzzlement. "Then why does he need you?"

"They say he needs a translator or something, and I'm the only person they can get in short notice who can speak French. Who would've thought my elective French class in high school would actually be of use."

"But you are going to be paid extra for it right?"

Sakura grinned at this. "I wouldn't have agreed to it if I wasn't paid for my services you know. I'm only doing this for the money after all."

"Of course you are," Tomoyo said with a roll of her amethyst eyes at her friend and colleague.

* * *

"_Mr. Hashimoto?"_

Kentaro Hashimoto yawned and rubbed his eyes and glanced at the digital clock beside his bed.

"Who is this? It's barely six o'clock in the morning!" he muttered in an annoyed tone.

"_I am sorry Mr. Hashimoto, but this is Dr. Okada from Tomoeda District Hospital."_

Kentaro immediately sat blot right up as the voice on the other line said this.

"Dr. Okada, yes, what is it?"

"_Although I've been given specific instruction to tell you on the phone directly from the patient himself, I'm not sure if this is the appropriate way of telling you,"_ the doctor said hesitantly.

"Just tell me," Kentaro said in a strained voiced, already knowing full well what the news might be, although wishing otherwise.

"_Well, Mr. Fujitaka Kinomoto has just passed away at precisely 5:48 earlier this morning."_

Kentaro's shoulders slumped and he leaned back onto his bed's headboard as the words sunk in. Although he was already expecting such news, he still couldn't believe it.

"_Mr. Hashimoto?"_

"Y-Yeah, I'll be there in thirty minutes. Thank you for calling Dr. Okada."

* * *

"Hizumi-san?"

The middle-aged woman looked up from the file she was reading and smiled.

"Tomoyo, yes what can I do for you?"

Tomoyo looked at her boss with a sad smile.

"Uhm…I just came to tell you that Sakura isn't coming in today. You see, she just received news this morning that her father just passed away and she had to leave immediately for her hometown."

* * *

Sakura sat in silence in the living room of her old home, the place where she grew up, where she spent her entire childhood with her father. She hasn't been here at all since college. Right after she graduated from the local college in Tomoeda, she merely came by to pack up her bags before heading to Tokyo, and she's never come back until now.

She and her father always celebrated her birthday, his birthday and the holidays together somewhere in Tokyo or anywhere close to Tomoeda, depending on where they agree on but never in the town itself. Fujitaka knew how much she didn't want to go back to the past.

And now, here she was again. Of course she was back for the worst reason. For the burial of her own father whom she didn't know was even dying in the first place!

"I-I can't believe he's gone!" Sakura said in denial. Tears weren't streaming down her face anymore as it did for the past two days. Ever since she got the call from her father's best friend and the family's lawyer, Kentaro Hashimoto, about her father's death, she's been crying nonstop all the way from her condo at Tokyo to her father's hospital room where the hospital staff were given specific instructions to not move him until she gets to have her final farewells.

She's been there for three days now, skipping work freely and not caring about it, and still in denial of her father's death. Except now her eyes have run dry of tears.

"I really am sorry Sakura-san," the older man said in a very apologetic tone. "Fujitaka specifically gave me instructions and it's the least I can do for he is a dear friend of mine. I only had to respect his wishes. He didn't want to worry you of his health. He knew just how much time he had left, which is why he visited you more often for the past few weeks."

"I should've known something was wrong! He was so pushy about me getting married all of a sudden and he's been visiting me more than often for the past few months, especially the past few weeks! And he's looked a lot thinner the last time I saw him two weeks ago! I should've also wondered why he didn't visit me last week! I mean, he's been going to Tokyo every week for some time now after all! Why the hell didn't I notice?" she asked no one in particular, feeling very miserable now.

Kentaro smiled sadly at her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"The doctors told him to stay put and just rest, to have you come to Tomoeda instead. But he was persistent, saying he didn't want to disrupt you from your job and your new life in Tokyo. He's really proud of you Sakura, the way he talks about you to everyone around here after you left, he really was proud of you and what you've become."

Sakura nodded, not able to say a word in fear that her voice might crack. Regardless that she dried herself of tears, she could feel a whole new round of fresh tears starting up again.

"Look, your father wouldn't want you to be like this Sakura. He's left me a list of instructions which he made before he died. He told me I have to stick to it no matter what, some of them were absurd, but we- the hospital staff included –stood by and respected his wishes. And I suggest you do to," he suggested with an encouraging smile.

She couldn't help but laugh a little at that. Her father really was into making lists and instructions for as long as she can remember. He was really organized that way.

"What's next on the list then?"

Kentaro grinned in spite of himself. "He said, after three days of his passing, if I were to find you still grieving for him, I must find means and ways to make you stop!"

Now Sakura really laughed. It really was like her father to leave such an absurd instruction.

"Have I fulfilled that request?"

Sakura nodded, still laughing lightly and sniffing her nose.

"Next?"

"Your father's will. We really don't need anyone else with us. I know the contents of the will and it really just involves you since you are the only family he has. He had written up his will a few months ago after he learned of his diagnosis and finished it two weeks ago after his last visit to you in Tokyo."

Sighing, Sakura nodded and went over to the dining room where they sat opposite each other.

Kentaro opened his briefcase and took out a folder. He settled his glasses on the bridge of his nose and started reading.

Sakura listened to him intently, he basically just read out everything they owned, all their possessions, everything they earned for the past years. The house she was in right now in Tomoeda, the property he owned in England which he had bought years ago when he went on a trip there, his earnings from his job as a professor's assistant in the earlier days to his earnings for the past few years as a college professor, and his earnings and bonuses for the specific excavations he's gone to and assisted overseas to places like Egypt and Turkey.

After he had finished reciting all that, Sakura was surprised to learn that her entire inheritance had totaled into a whopping amount of 300 million yen.

"M-My father had that much amount of money?" Sakura asked incredulously. Just how much did her father own in those excavation trips?

"You already knew of course that your father was never one to spend for his own wants. He only spent for day to day needs like groceries and electricity and water bills. So, he really didn't spend much of what he earned."

"Of course he hasn't," she said, not at all surprised. "So, the money's mine now?" she asked, slightly amused by the whole situation, and now can't help but feel excited at the idea of buying even more shoes to add to her growing collection as well as new bags and clothes.

"Yes, but there is one more thing," Kentaro said with a grin playing on his lips.

"What is it?"

"The last part of your father's will is quite interesting," he said before clearing his throat and peering back down at the paper. "It reads, and I quote: _Everything listed above are therefore now the property of Mrs. Sakura Li, my daughter who shall have to be married to Mr. Xiao Lang Li with a perfectly viable and official marriage license before her 27__th__ birthday on April 1__st__ or else all my assets shall be withheld and shall remain in the bank where further instructions are given as to how my assets will be distributed if by the said date my daughter remains to be unwed_."

Kentaro sighed in relief as he finished the last line of the lengthy will and took off his glasses before looking up at a dumbstruck Sakura.

"Sakura?" he asked in bewilderment at her frozen expression.

Sakura was looking at him with her jaw down, her mouth wide open in shock. Her eyebrows were held up to her forehead and she could literally feel her eyes about to pop out of their sockets.

"Sakura?" Kentaro repeated, waving a hand in front of her.

Shaking her head furiously, Sakura shook her head and looked at him in disbelief. "Married before I turn 27? Y-You have got to be kidding me! And to Li! Why the hell did my father say that? Let me see that! I don't believe this!"

Kentaro gave her the paper and watched her as her face turned from total disbelief to that of pure dread.

"C-Can't we like, I don't know, put some white-out on that part or something?" she proposed in a nervous voice, making him raise a brow at her.

"You know we can't do that. Who is this Li anyway? Your father must have had his reasons for writing this up. He wouldn't have wanted you to marry a complete stranger."

'You have no idea,' Sakura thought as she groaned miserably and let her head fall to the table. She'd rather take an ugly and idiotic, complete stranger whom she actually stood a chance with marrying and just divorce later rather than an insanely handsome, just as complete a stranger who is one of the few most eligible bachelors in Japan- and one of the richest men in the country to boot -to whom she was going to be working for in a few days time.

Her 'little white lie' just backfired on her. Big time.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So, did you guys enjoy it?

Let me know what you guys think. As the writer, your opinion really does count.

I'll be updating as soon as I can! For now, Ja ne!

**Raeny**


	2. The Plot

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**"The Plot"**

* * *

After taking a whole week off work, Sakura was back in Tokyo after she set her affairs in order in Tomoeda. She paid her proper respects to her father up to the day he was buried, she paid Kentaro- regardless of his refusal –for his services and every personal thing he's done for her father, and she called the bank to check what exactly her father intends to do with the money if she doesn't inherit it all.

Of course, she wasn't all that surprised when the bank manager, who was a friend of her father's and to whom was left with his instructions, told her that he could not tell her due to his father's wishes to keep it a secret from her and from everyone else until the deadline of her 27th birthday.

Sakura groaned and banged her head on her desk. Her father was gone and yet he was still playing games on her as if he was still alive! It was because of that that her grieving was abruptly put to a stop. And she bet it in her mind and heart that her father intended for something like this to actually happen to ensure she doesn't stay gloomy over his passing.

"Sakura?" Tomoyo asked gently with a small smile, but all she got in reply from her best friend was a muffled grunt. "Sakura," she pressed on more firmly.

Turning her head to the side, she looked at Tomoyo with a lost expression on her face.

"What are you going to do about this? You can't just sit there moping around. Your birthday's not exactly near at hand but it is if you're thinking about marriage here," she pointed out smartly, earning another groan from Sakura. "Seriously though, what are you going to do about all this?"

After a few minutes of silence, Sakura finally sat up straight and shook her head.

"I'm…"

"You're…?"

"I'm going to have to do it," Sakura said with a determined nod of her head.

"Do what?" Tomoyo asked somewhat cautiously.

Sakura turned to her, a fire in her eyes although she also still looked like she was about to cry in desperation.

"I'm going to have to make him fall in love with me," she explained simply though in a totally unconvincing tone of voice.

Tomoyo raised a brow at her.

"What?" Sakura asked with a frown. "It's possible!" she argued as she stood from her seat. "I mean, he's only human. How hard could it be to get into some kind of a relationship with him?"

Shaking her head with amusement written all over her face, Tomoyo stood from her seat and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, a kind look on her face.

"You are aware that he's one of Japan's _most_ eligible bachelors?"

Sakura made a face. "Well, he doesn't have a girlfriend. That-"

"And that his last girlfriend was an heiress for a chain of hotels?"

"Then being with me wouldn't be as complicated as his last girlfriend," Sakura countered though more unsure now.

"I love you Sakura but seriously, are you sure you want to do this? Personally, I think he'd be a guy with bad taste and a bad judge of character if he doesn't fall in love with you, but then let's say if or when he does fall in love with you, how are you going to handle it?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, confused.

"What will you do if he falls in love with you and finds out that you were only using him to get your father's money?"

"I might fall in love with him too," Sakura pointed out.

"Yes, but the fact still remains. The only reason why you're bothering with him in the first place is to get your inheritance. Knowing just that is already wrong in itself."

Sakura fell silent.

Tomoyo looked at her best friend with genuine care and worry. She knew the reason why Sakura was forcing this matter. She and her father have gone through a lot in the past and having the money being wasted away after everything they've been through is maddening and ludicrous.

"Okay, enough with the depressing talk," Tomoyo said in a firm tone. "Let's go out for lunch, my treat."

* * *

"Mr. Li?"

Syaoran tore his gaze from the women who had just entered the restaurant and turned to the familiar waitress.

"The usual," he responded with a small smile of gratitude.

The middle-aged waitress bowed with a smile and left him to himself.

Syaoran turned back to the pair of women who were now seated in the two-seater table by the window before he took out his cell phone. Opening the folders to his old and already read messages, he finally arrived to the one he had been looking for.

_Are you jealous yet? Her name is Tomoyo Daidouji. I first met her months ago but we've only just gone out officially a few weeks ago. I love her, she might be "the one"._

_– Eriol Hiiragizawa –_

Scrolling down the message, Syaoran got to the photo Eriol had attached with it which was a picture of Eriol, his best friend for God knows how many years now, and the very same lady with the ashen black hair who was currently seated by the window in the very restaurant he was eating in.

Pocketing his cell, he nodded a thank you at the waitress who had brought and set down his lunch in front of him.

'Interesting,' he thought, eyeing Tomoyo and her companion interestedly. He was sitting in a much private area of the restaurant which was covered from the view of the other diners, but he had a perfectly good view of the area the women were sitting at.

* * *

"Thank you," Tomoyo said with a smile at the rather young and eager waiter whose been hanging around their table and looking at Tomoyo and Sakura in turns.

"Glad to be of service ma'am," he said with a huge grin before bowing deeply at the pair of them and leaving towards the kitchens.

"Eager. Don't you think?" Sakura said with a laugh as he watched the waiter leave and almost crashing into another waiter who had just come out of the kitchen through the swinging doors.

"Very eager," Tomoyo agreed with a giggle.

After a few minutes of silenced laughing, Sakura instantly sobered and looked at her best friend with the same look of desperation she had at their office.

"Tomoyo…" she said in an almost pleading voice. "What do you propose I do about this?"

"It's really your call Sakura," she said after a sip from her water glass.

"Would you think badly of me if I try to seduce the man into loving me just so I could get my money?"

After a short pause, Tomoyo shook her head.

"You're biased. Of course you won't hate me, you're my best friend! But if anyone else found out about this, they'll think I'm a real nasty bi-"

"Now stop right there," Tomoyo interrupted with a raised hand, cutting her off abruptly. "First of all, I won't be telling anyone, except…maybe…"

"Your boyfriend," Sakura said with a raised brow, making Tomoyo turn scarlet. "From how you talk about the guy, I'd say you can't help but tell him just about anything. When do I get to meet this mystery man of yours anyway? You've been going out with him for almost a month now."

"I-I can keep secrets from him too!" she countered defensively although looking quite flustered about it. "I…I just don't realize what I say to him until I've said it, that's all."

"Of course," Sakura said with a laugh. It was very unusual to see the usually calm and composed Tomoyo Daidouji getting this disconcerted over a guy.

"And I'll introduce you to him soon. I promise."

"You better! I'm really bad at remembering names of people I'm not familiar with. So you can't expect me to address him so chummily until you actually introduce us."

Tomoyo grinned at her and took a sip from the glass of pineapple juice that another waiter had placed in front of the pair of them.

After a few minutes and a few bites off her lunch, Tomoyo watched Sakura closely as she played around with her food.

"Sakura," she began gently, "I'll help you in any way I can. Just…"

Sakura looked at her with a gratefulness written all over her bright emerald eyes.

"Just at least keep yourself grounded. Will you promise me that?"

"Grounded? What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're treading on dangerous waters here. And I'm not just saying this because the man's rich beyond imagining. I'm saying that, this is a game of love we're talking about."

"Game of love?" Sakura echoed in surprise and mild hilarity at the seriousness of her best friend. "I wouldn't go that far Tomoyo. I haven't even met him yet and we're talking like I'm ready to swear my eternal love for him and have his babies. I'm sure I-"

"But you're going to get yourself involved with him," Tomoyo interrupted sounding worried now. "I don't know much about him but I've heard of him more than enough times to know what kind of a person he is."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not saying he's the spawn of Satan or anything like that," she amended immediately after seeing actual fear on Sakura's face. "I mean, well, you saw how he looks from pictures and you basically know part of his background to assume that he's the sort of guy almost every female, who would dare, go after."

"Well, yes. But so?"

"So…I don't want you to get hurt," she finally surmised.

Sakura smiled a gentle smile at Tomoyo. For a moment there she thought that she was about to tell her that the guy's the sort who could easily murder her or something in that line.

"Tomoyo," she said as she took the other girl's hands in hers. "I don't know what'll happen from here on out. Maybe I'll get hurt, maybe I won't. But that doesn't matter. At least I know I've done something about the situation rather than idly stand by and watch as the scenes pass by and someday regret not doing anything about it."

"I knew you were going to say something like that," Tomoyo said with a sigh although she was smiling.

Sakura grinned at her and winked. "I'm not the type to give up so easily after all."

"And that's why I love you."

"Your orders," yet another waiter announced before placing plates of food between them on the table.

* * *

"I beg your pardon?" Sakura said, dumbfounded.

"You heard me, the boss wants to see you today. And by boss, I don't mean myself but the highest of the higher ups," Hizumi repeated with a grin and looking rather proud. It wasn't everyday that someone from her staff was needed by anyone in other higher ranking departments, let alone the top one.

"You mean Mr. Li, Mr. Li Xiao Lang, wants to see me, today, right now?" she confirmed still in disbelief.

"I'm surprised this still comes as a shock to you Sakura, I mean, I did tell you that Mr. Li's going to need your services soon as his secretary weeks ago."

"Well, yes, but…" Sakura's brows knitted together in worry. What are the chances of the man in question asking to see her the very day she decided to plot on having him fall in love with her? "I…I just forgot about it. It's still hard to believe that I get to work with him, I guess," she reasoned.

Hizumi laughed and placed a reassuring hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Believe it! And don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine as his secretary and you'll be back down here with us in no time."

Sakura smiled a small smile and bowed at her in thanks.

"Now get going, you wouldn't want to keep him waiting. I don't think you'll be starting today, I mean, it's four in the afternoon, people are starting to pack up for home for the day already. He probably wants to meet you first before you can officially start working in his office."

* * *

"Mia, recheck these documents for me before you fax it over to our branch in Barcelona."

With a nod of her head, the slightly plump, 42 year old woman left the large office, folders full of papers in her arms.

Just as the double doors to his office closed behind her, the phone on his desk began to ring with a little dot blinking beside the name "Tai".

"What is it?" he called out after pressing the button.

"Ms. Kinomoto is here waiting to see you Mr. Li," one of his secretaries informed him, her voice on speaker ringing in the room.

"Send her in," he replied curtly before ending the call.

Syaoran sighed, grabbed the folder labeled "4281 - Kinomoto, Sakura" and leaned back into his leather chair before turning around and looking out the vast glass window that comprised the entire side of his office behind his desk.

Not long after, Syaoran heard the soft knocking on his office doors and two pairs of feet entering.

"Ms. Kinomoto for you Mr. Li," Tai announced before the door reopened and closed yet again.

"Good afternoon," Sakura greeted rather unsurely, seeing as the man was out of sight.

"Good afternoon," Syaoran greeted back as he scanned through her profile yet again. "Please take a seat Ms. Kinomoto."

Sakura looked around the office and spotted the sofas situated around a coffee table in the middle of the large room, as well as a few chairs to the sides.

"Thank you," she replied quite unsurely yet again before walking over towards one of the two chairs directly in front of his desk.

A small smirk appeared on Syaoran's lips hearing the woman taking a seat so close to him. Most of the people he calls into his office usually prefer sitting well away from him, especially those who have never met him before.

"Employee number 4281, Ms. Kinomoto, Sakura, female, single. You are currently working for Li Corp. in the Tokyo branch under the Human Resources Department headed my Mrs. Iwa, Hizumi. You're almost reaching three years of employment and you're best friends with a Ms. Daidouji, Tomoyo. You-"

"Is that in my profile?" Sakura interrupted without thinking.

Syaoran turned his chair around so abruptly, Sakura almost jumped in surprise as his amber eyes met hers. "What is?" he asked, looking at her intently and studying her for the second time that day. He had seen her in the restaurant at lunch with Tomoyo but this was the very first time he'd seen her up close and clearly. The photo of her in the profile certainly didn't do her beauty any justice.

"What is?" Syaoran repeated, seeing as he somehow rendered the woman seated in front of him speechless.

Sakura snapped out of it and looked away from him before answering. "A-About Tomoyo being my best friend."

"No, but not everything I know came from written reports and such," he explained before looking back down to reread her profile although he has read it more than enough times already to have it all memorized.

"I see," Sakura replied, at a loss of anything else to say. She had seen the picture of Li Corp.'s CEO more than enough times in newspapers and magazines to know how he looked like but this was the very first time she'd seen him. And _this_ close a proximity. Now she doesn't blame the women she'd read about that go to different lengths just to get close to him.

Females nowadays would easily get attracted to men with wealth. But in this case, money was certainly not the only thing this man was blessed with. Sakura stole a glance at him and can't help but let her gaze linger. His chocolate brown hair was messy but didn't look untidy since it wasn't too long, and neither was it too short. Thick eyebrows of the same shade were properly aligned and kept above a pair of eyes the color of intriguing amber. His jaw line was sharp and his obviously broad shoulders were covered beneath a gray, finely tailored suit.

"So, Ms. Kinomoto," Syaoran said, sending Sakura's physical inspection to a halt.

"Y-Yes?" she said nervously, making her sound like a squeaking mouse.

Syaoran raised a brow at her. He had purposely faked reading her profile for a few short minutes to get the woman in front of him more comfortable in his presence….and let her finish looking him over. He had enough experience with women to assume what happens when he first comes into close contact with them. And just as he thought, Sakura was no different.

"I assume you were briefed by Mrs. Iwa regarding the job you are requested to take in my personal office?"

Sakura mentally shook her head, trying to clear her mind from the obvious God-like creature seated in front of her. This was not the time to drool over her future boss, _and_ future husband.

'Husband?' Sakura thought, now in despair as she looked back at him. 'What in the world was I thinking?' she asked herself. 'It would take a miracle to even get this man to even look at me in a more informal and personal way!'

"Ms. Kinomoto?" Syaoran said in a clearer tone and with much authority.

"Yes," she answered immediately. "She briefed me of the job I'll take as your secretary."

"And?"

"And that I'll be required to act as your translator in French for the most part."

"Well, that is true but not in the most literal sense," Syaoran corrected as he placed the folder with Sakura's profile on his desk before looking at her more intently.

"I don't think I understand."

"You will be required to translate, yes, but not for me," he explained, sending Sakura more into confusion. "I wouldn't bother or even consider expanding the company to places like New York, Barcelona and Paris without actually knowing their native tongue."

"You mean to say, that you are already fluent in English, Spanish _and_ French?"

Syaoran nodded. "And Chinese of course since my birth place is in Hong Kong and that is where Li Corp. first came to exist. Even this branch in Tokyo is just an extension branch similar to that of the ones in England, Spain and France."

"I…I see…" Sakura said with a frown. She was equally impressed as well as confused. "So, what exactly would you require me to do for you as a secretary fluent in French?"

"I hold meetings from time to time with the CEOs from the other branches of Li Corp., and files come in and out from Tokyo to Hong Kong, New York, Barcelona, or Paris and vice versa. You will be required to translate legal files and other documents that come in and go out to Paris as well as handle issues that involve that specific branch that may come up, here. You are also required to attend meetings with me by the way where that branch is concerned. French is a fascinating language but it isn't something just anyone bothers to learn especially since we are in Japan. For example, if there is an employee here whose expertise is needed to aid in the shortcomings of the branch in Paris, we can't very well expect that person to know how to speak in French. In that case, your services will be required."

"I understand," Sakura said with a nod. And here she thought she was merely playing secretary number four. She didn't know just how big a duty her job entailed. "Does this mean I'll have to stop my current job in the HR Department?"

Syaoran nodded. "Unless you want to work both jobs at the same time, and that is just humanly impossible by the way. I need you here in the same working hours or even more, on more than one occasion. I place a very high regard for those I take as my secretaries. So to speak, the shoes you're about to fill isn't a walk on the beach. Especially for you right now it's not."

Sakura didn't know how to respond to that but perhaps it was apparent on the look on her face that she didn't quite understand him.

"My family owns Li Corp.," Syaoran started to explain. "The branch in Paris is one you can consider as the baby of the group. It only just officially opened so you can expect to be busy day and night for quite some time. Are you willing to accept that? Better yet, can you even handle that?"

"I can and will," she replied with a determined nod.

Which, apparently, was enough for her new boss.

"To be honest, I was hesitant at the prospect of hiring you," he confessed as he relaxed back into his chair and inspected Sakura without a care although quite aware that it made the woman in front of him uncomfortable.

"Uhm… May I ask why?"

"Your physical features," he said in barely a whisper.

"Excuse me?" she asked, not quite sure if she heard him right.

Syaoran smirked at him and shook his head. "Why do _you _think I would be hesitant in hiring you for this position?"

After a few seconds and not much thought, "I would think it be because of my age?"

With a brow raised at her, he gestured for her to expound.

"Well, I am only 26 years old as of now and from the people I've seen working directly under you, from the people in this floor down to your secretaries, they all seem to be in their 40s and 50s, and some probably their 30s in the least. I suppose you think, considering my age, I won't be as reliable as they," she explained sincerely.

"You make a fine point. Most 20 year olds especially in this modern day and age aren't as reliable as I would like, but I am hoping you are different. But I can assure you that your age was never a factor in my hesitation to hire you. Age is not of importance to me. Perhaps you should do a little research on your boss-to-be next time."

"Oh," was all Sakura could reply. That was certainly a good thing. Of course she didn't want to be looked down upon just because she was younger than the rest. His last statement however, was confusing. What did he mean by doing research on her boss-to-be?

"I have to praise you for your keen observation as well," Syaoran added. "Indeed, the youngest person in my personal team is in her 30s. Josie, one of my secretaries fluent in English besides Japanese is 34 years old. That would all, of course, change if and when you decide to work for me."

With that said, Syaoran pulled out one of the folders stacked on one side of his large desk and slid it towards Sakura. He opened the folder revealing a few legal sized papers stapled together that comprised of Sakura's new contract.

"All you have to do is sign," he said before placing a pen on top of the papers.

"Will you mind if I…?" Sakura gestured to the folder.

"By all means," Syaoran said with a wave of his hand and watched Sakura as she started reading through the contract.

* * *

Sighing, Sakura stepped out of the elevator and slowly made her way towards the entrance of the company building.

"Oy, Kinomoto! Rough day?"

Sakura looked up to see one of her acquaintances and gave him a weak smile.

"Kinomoto-san! I saw Daidouji-san standing outside, could she be waiting for you?"

"Yes, thank you!" Sakura called back to another of her acquaintances.

That's one of the many good things about working in Human Relations, she gets to meet almost all of the employees working in Li Corp. at some point or another.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo called out excitedly the moment she stepped out of the sliding glass doors. "So? How was it? What did he want to see you for?"

"Well, you're not looking at the Assistant Head of the HR Department anymore, but the Secretary to the CEO of Li Corp.," she informed although not as ecstatically as one should in her situation.

"You don't seem too happy about it," Tomoyo pointed out as they slowly made their way to the park where they have to walk to the other side to get to the building of the condominium-hotel where they have both lived in for years now.

"Quite frankly, I don't know how I should feel. I mean, from Assistant Head to Secretary?"

"True, the position is lower but considering your working directly under the head honcho himself makes being Secretary even a bigger job than being the head of the other departments. Don't you think?"

"True. But…I still don't know about this," she said, still sounding unsure. "And to think, I already signed the contract!"

"What are you worried about exactly?"

"My boss," she confessed without hesitation.

"Mr. Li?"

"The very one," Sakura agreed with a sigh.

"Why? Is his personality that bad?" she pressed on, worried now. Of course she didn't want her best friend to work under someone with an unbearable attitude. That certainly screams "bad working environment".

"On the contrary," Sakura said, stopping down the path in the park and turning to Tomoyo with a look of despair. "He's too damn perfect!"


	3. Friendly Terms

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**"Friendly Terms"**

* * *

That caught her off-guard. "Perfect?" Tomoyo echoed in confusion.

"Tomoyo, I've never seen anyone as perfect as he is. Personality-wise, he was quite serious, very business-like in every aspect during our conversation in his office, so I can't very well tell of what kind of personality he actually has out of work yet. But I could also tell from the way he speaks that he's really intelligent and not to mention, physically speaking that is, that he's…well, too blessed."

"Too blessed?"

"I've seen him often enough on the news or magazines or whatever but I swear they have nothing on his actual appearance. I almost drooled right then and there the moment I laid my eyes on him!"

Tomoyo giggled at her girlish confession.

"Tomoyo…!" Sakura whined almost childishly. "How can I possibly work with that kind of person?"

"Well, see it as a blessing, you only just met him for the first time and already you've fallen head over heels for him. At least if and when the time comes when you have to tell him of your little plot, you can actually tell him honestly that you were after him from day one because of love, and not money."

"That's not very comforting you know," Sakura said with an agonized groan. "And I can't even see his perfection as a blessing! It only made me realize just how crazy and out of mind I am to even believe that he'll fall for the likes of me! And, I'm not in love with him. Attracted? Definitely, but saying I'm in love with him is just going too far I think."

"Sakura, if anyone can manage a miracle, it's you. And I'm not just saying that. Your life in itself and everything you've been through with your father in the past is proof enough that you are indeed a miracle maker."

"One miracle per lifetime I think is fair enough for every human. So I basically used up my miracle card back then. What are the chances of another miracle coming my way? Life doesn't work that way."

"Oh Sakura, you're too pessimistic."

"No I'm not, I'm just realistic," she countered still depressingly.

"Well Ms. Realist, why don't we go shopping? You're starting your new and higher paying job soon, you might as well spend in preparation to that with some new outfits and shoes."

At the mention of "shopping", "new outfits", and "shoes", Sakura immediately perked up.

"There's this new skirt from Chanel I've been dying to get my hands on ever since I saw it two days ago!" she announced excitedly.

* * *

"Tai, Sakura, get in here please."

Sakura looked at the phone a few more seconds waiting for anything else Syaoran's voice on speaker might add. Hearing none, she turned to Tai who was already standing by a few feet away from her desk, waiting for her.

"Is it always this busy here?" Sakura asked, out of breath as she walked fast towards the 39 year old secretary who was smiling at her reassuringly.

"Not always. But for you it will be for quite some time. We all went through the same thing during the first few weeks and months of the opening of the other branches," she explained. "You'll get the hang of it sooner or later. We're already all impressed you're getting on quite nicely so far."

"I'm impressed I didn't break down yet!" Sakura joked, making the other woman laugh before they entered their boss' office.

"Mr. Li?" the pair of them questioned by the doorway.

"Tai, please have these files faxed to Fiemie before noon tomorrow at least. And have the bookkeepers of the Finance Department make a summarized report for the last month and as always, have it translated in Chinese before you send it to Fiemie as well."

"Understood," Tai said with a nod as she jotted it down on her pad. "Anything else?"

"That's it for now," he said with a nod of his head.

Tai smiled at Sakura before leaving the office.

"Sakura," he started, startling her.

She's been working as his secretary for precisely two weeks now and so far she's gone on without a hitch. At least, she hopes she hasn't. Besides giving and taking orders, she never got the chance to even speak to Syaoran about anything other than business matters. Not that she tried though. How could she when she's been running around just trying to keep up with her secretarial duties.

"Yes?"

"It's Friday and you've been working here for two weeks."

"Yes," she answered although what he said wasn't really a question but a statement.

"I expect you're starting to get used to it?"

"Yeah right! I've been working my ass off day in and day out. You have no idea about the amount of work I even have to do for this company at home!" was what she wanted to reply but instead, she said, "I am. It's certainly a challenge but I'm starting to get the hang of it Sir."

Looking at her still well-groomed, well-dressed, and poised, what she said wasn't hard to believe. But even if she did look normal for the past two weeks, even far better than she had the first time he saw her, he knew she wasn't having the time of her life with the job either. Not at this time at least.

"That's good to hear, you may go."

Sakura looked at him questioningly.

"I merely wanted to know how you're fairing," he explained, making her nod.

"Uhm… Thank you," she said a bit unsurely before bowing and taking her leave.

* * *

"Hey Sakura!" Tomoyo greeted cheerily.

"_Hey Tomoyo."_

"Well, it's almost six. I got delayed in the office today. I suppose my load's a lot bigger now since we lost one of two Assistant Heads in HR. I'm still by the entrance. Where are you? Did you go on without me? Wanna go shopping before we have dinner?"

"_Sorry about that, but I'm sure you can handle it. We're talking about _you _after all. I'm still in the office, I can't today Tomoyo. I still got a damn load of stuff to do."_

"_Now_? But it's a Friday. And you've been working to no end for the past few days and even last weekend already," she pointed out with a frown.

"_I know, but like I said, the branch in Paris only just began business and I have loads of stuff to take in and send out right away. It's only temporary anyway. I'll finish up everything I need to do this weekend tonight and I'll make it up to you ten-fold…tomorrow?"_

"You better!" Tomoyo said in a voice still of disappointment. She hadn't seen much of Sakura as she would have liked lately. "So, how goes the snag-your-boss operation going?"

"_Dismal."_

The flat response made Tomoyo giggle. "Oh Sakura, I know you're busy with work and all but you have to put in a little effort too. I mean, you work on the same floor as the guy, you've got more of an edge than any other woman on the planet right now. Make your move already! It's been two weeks."

"_I've thought about it but I can't see how. Whenever I see him, I either think about business or otherwise keep fearing that he might fire me for the lousy job I've been doing."_

"Are you doing a lousy job?"

"_Well, no, but I never know what he's thinking. We might be on the same floor but I barely see him regardless."_

Tomoyo sighed. Sakura was certainly in a pinch. "We'll discuss a plan as soon as things die down on your end then. Just, don't lose hope this soon, okay?"

"_I won't… I hope I won't."_

"You shouldn't!"

"_Pray for me that I won't. I'm starting to lose hope right now and we're j-"_

"Sakura?"

Tomoyo looked at her cell and the screen indicated that the line was cut.

* * *

"_You shouldn't!"_

"Pray for me that I won't," she said in a sigh and turning on her chair. "I'm starting to lose hope right now and we're j-" Sakura's eyes widened as she hastily flipped her cell to a close and replaced it in the pocket of her black slacks. "What can I do for you Mr. Li?" she immediately blurted out seeing her boss half sitting on Josie's desk situated a few feet across from hers with a mug in hand and looking at her interestedly.

"Any reason why you're asking for someone to pray for you?"

Sakura blushed and looked down. "I-It was nothing," she replied awkwardly. Just how long had he been there listening to her conversation?

"I see," Syaoran said in a disbelieving tone.

"May I get your coffee for you?" she said with a nod at his empty mug. At this point, she was willing to do anything to get herself out from talking about her conversation with Tomoyo. She would bungee jump from this 80 floor building if that were the only option.

"Thank you," he said with small nod of his head and placed his mug on her desk and walking back into his office.

Sakura sighed in relief before taking out her cell while walking over to the staff's kitchen by the elevators.

"Tomoyo?"

"_Sakura? What happened earlier?"_

"Li was listening in to our conversation without my knowing it!" she hissed into her cell quite hysterically.

"_Whaaatt? What did he hear?"_

"I have no idea! The moment I turned on my chair he was already there," she said worriedly as she started putting hot water into the mug with powdered coffee.

"_Well, if he heard you talking about him then that'll be good. At least, now he knows you're sort of interested in him enough to talk about him."_

"Again, that's not too comforting," she said before stirring the contents in the mug before slowly making her way back. "I'll give a call later. I have to bring his coffee to him in his office."

"_Alright, good luck!"_

"What do you mean "_good luck!_"?" she replied incredulously.

"_I mean, now you have chance to dazzle him! So, no talking of business, remember that!"_

"Wish me luck," Sakura muttered before placing her cell on her desk and heading to Syaoran's office.

* * *

"Come in," Syaoran called out before stacking a pile of folders neatly to one side of his desk.

"Your coffee," Sakura said before setting it down on the desk in front of him.

"Remind me to have get my coffee in here restocked. The only drinks I have left in here seem to all have alcohol in them," he said with a grin before taking a sip of the coffee.

It took most of Sakura's willpower not to melt on the spot. It wasn't common to see him joke around and even flash a smile such as that in the office after all.

"I shall. Or would you like me to restock it for you?" she suggested, making him look at her.

"Well, I wouldn't mind but you're busy enough already. And although the job description of most secretaries these days would include doing personal duties for their boss, I wouldn't want you or the others do anything of the sort," he explained. "It's a little unprofessional for me, especially on my part."

Sakura smiled at him and nodded. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked. She didn't want to leave at that but not saying anything would be much more awkward.

"Yes," he said before relaxing into his chair. "Sit."

Doing as he says, she took the same seat she took a seat on one of the sofas in the middle of the room.

Syaoran looked at her curiously before walking over to her and sitting on the opposite sofa, coffee in hand.

"So exactly what're you still doing here at this hour?"

"I had a few things I wanted to finish today so I'll be free for the weekend," she explained truthfully.

"Date?"

"Excuse me?" she asked, not entirely sure what he meant.

"You wanted to finish your work today so you could have a date with a boyfriend or a friend on the weekend?" he elaborated while taking sips of his coffee.

"I don't have a boyfriend," she admitted. "But you're right, I have a date tomorrow with Tomo- err… Ms. Daidouji."

* * *

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Sakura, where are you? Don't tell me you're still at the office? I know its work and all, but there's got to be a limit as to how much you should work," Tomoyo pointed out with a frown. She was currently standing outside Sakura's condo which had always been conveniently right across her own unit and her endless knocking and ringing of the doorbell for the past five minutes was enough proof that she was still out. "You do know that it's almost ten?"

_"I'm not at work anymore, I'm…well, I'm out."_

Tomoyo's brow rose at her words. "Out where and with _whom_ exactly?" she asked with a grin, starting to get suspicious.

* * *

"_Out where and with _whom_ exactly?"_

Sakura looked through the shelf of potato chips towards the counter while holding on to a bottle of Coke she had taken from the fridge of the convenience store. Syaoran's back was currently on her as he was looking through the rack of magazines while talking on his cell beside the counter where a young woman was currently openly ogling him.

"I'm at the convenience store near Li Corp., with…" she said hesitantly into her cell. "Li."

The moment the name left her lips, a long and sharp shriek blasted from her cell. She had to wait a few minutes until Tomoyo finally calmed down enough to listen to her.

"It's not that big of a deal!"

"_Yes it is! How did you end up there with him?"_

"Well, one moment we were talking about coffee and other random things and the next thing I knew, he suggested we go out together to restock his coffee in the office," she explained in a hushed tone while keeping an eye on him discreetly.

"_Good for you! This is the start of your future Sakura! I mean it! Now put down your cell and get your flirt on!"_

Sakura looked at her cell incredulously before laughing and shaking her head. "Get my flirt on? Who are you and what did you do with my best friend?"

"_I mean it! This is your chance to get him to take interest in you!"_

"I know, I know, but-" Sakura fell silent, hearing another voice in Tomoyo's end. "Who are you with anyway?" she asked suspiciously, making the other girl giggle. "Okay, you don't need to tell me. You're with the boyfriend aren't you?"

"_I wanted to introduce you to him tonight. He's on the phone with a friend of his too. We're actually outside your condo right now, I thought you'd be home."_

* * *

"_So you're telling me, that you won't meet up with me tonight because you're out on a date? With your secretary?"_

Syaoran turned and saw Sakura behind a shelf of junk food talking on her cell.

"It's not a date. She just agreed to come with me since I have to restock my coffee," Syaoran replied defensively.

"_All the worse! It's not even a date and you're ditching me. And here I planned on introducing you to Tomoyo."_

"You're with her?"

"_Where else would I be other than beside her?"_

Syaoran rolled his eyes. Eriol is the same kind of guy he is, serious with work, relaxed and carefree with friends. But this is the first time he'd seen Eriol get so smitten with a girl. With one of his company's employees no less.

"I'll meet her some other time."

"Soon! I want to see the jealous look on your face when you meet her."

Yet again, Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Of course you do." Hearing footsteps behind him, he spotted Sakura walking back towards him.

* * *

"I have to confess," Sakura said with a small smile as she watched a couple walk past the bench she and Syaoran were occupying in the fairly large park that was situated between the building of Li Corp. and her condo.

Syaoran looked at her in question.

"When I first met you in your office, and from all the things I heard about you, I seriously thought you were going to be some kind of stuck up, egotistical snob. No offense," she added with a grin making him laugh.

"I don't blame you. I really am serious where my work is concerned. I have to after all. Or else people won't take me seriously," he said eyeing her closely. "Considering my age."

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Didn't I tell you to at least do a little research on me when we first met in my office?" Seeing as she couldn't quite answer him he answered her question. "I only just turned 29."

"You're only 29 years old?" Sakura said, very surprised.

"Only? Then what does that make you?" he asked with a raised brow.

"I mean," she amended immediately. "Well, you being 29 and the CEO of an infamous company is…well…"

"Surprising? Unbelievable?" he supplied, making her nod dumbly. "I get that a lot. Most of the people working at the company are, as you noticed, in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. And that just doesn't apply to those who work directly under me. There are only a handful of 20 year olds that are ever qualified of to be hired in Li Corp., Ms. Daidouji and yourself included."

"So, it's hard to work with people much older than you?"

"It was, but I've gotten used to it. I'm just required to be serious in my job though, not just in handling the business but my personality and attitude towards the employees especially in the office when I'm around them. One slip from me and talk begins about my adequacy as CEO."

"But they can't possibly do anything, I mean, you do own the company. You built it…err…right?" Sakura asked, unsurely. Sure she worked for Li Corp. for quite some time now but she never got around to find out, or ever see the need to, know about how the company ever came to be.

"You're probably the first person, female or otherwise, whom I've met and actually spoken to like this, that didn't at least do a basic or thorough background check on me," he pointed out, completely ignoring her question.

"Sorry," Sakura said, her face turning a light color of pink.

"Don't apologize, it's quite refreshing. Even a guy like me wants to be treated normally by someone in my workplace. And to answer your question, yes, I did develop Li Corp. as it is here in Japan. But people around still believe it's because of my parents, seeing as it is a family business. Li Corp. which started in Hong Kong was founded by my parents and is now run by my oldest sister. The second branch, here in Tokyo was all my doing but people still assume I only got to build Li Corp. as it is here due to my parents' influence."

Sakura smiled at him before sighing and looking up at the sky. "And here I was thinking how fun it must be to be the head of your own company."

"Oh it is," he said with a grin that, again, made Sakura's insides turn into mush. "It's fun. Tiring at certain times, but fun. For me, at least."

Giggling at his confession, Sakura nodded. Then a thought occurred to her. It was now or never. It was getting late and both of them had to go on home soon and who knows if she'll ever get the chance to be this close to him. I mean, the time that they're spending together now was, in itself, already surreal and unlikely, let alone of the chances of it happening again.

"Mr. Li?"

"Hmm?" he responded absently as he took a sip of his own drink.

"Seeing as I basically got to know you and know just what kind of person you are…" she started a bit hesitatingly. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"A favor?"

"Yes, but not a favor from a secretary to her boss, but a favor from a girl in her twenties to a guy in his twenties," she explained with an unsure smile.

"What sort of favor?" he asked, genuinely intrigued now.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura then looked him straight in the eye. "Go out with me."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Disappointed? I hope not. I know there isn't much going on for now but it is only the beginning. As it holds true to my other stories, it'll get interesting in future chapters, I promise.

I still hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please do review and tell me what you think! I haven't written much in a while so I might be a little rusty, so bear with me.

**Raeny**


	4. Conspire

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

It's been two years since my last update?!

It is official. I am a disgraceful author. Enough said.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**"Conspire"**

* * *

"Go out with me."

Syaoran almost choked into his drink.

"Come again?" he asked, caught off guard.

Seeing the look on his face, Sakura immediately raised her palms in defense. "I…I don't mean it _that_ way. I mean, will you go out with me as a friend?"

After a moment of consideration, with his brows raised and in a teasing tone, "Exactly in _what _way did you think I was thinking of?"

Sakura blushed scarlet at his statement and was fidgeting on her seat.

Syaoran laughed.

"I was teasing. I know what you mean," he said with a grin.

After a moment's silence, he still didn't give her an answer.

"So…uhm…what do you think?"

She had embarrassed herself to no end tonight and she might as well see her plan through while she's at it.

"Sorry," he finally said. "I can't."

Sakura would be lying to herself if she didn't consider the possibility of her request being denied. Regardless, it still tore at her for being rejected.

"I'm pretty much busy 24/7 besides the occasional times, such as this, when I just have to escape work to get a load off. And when I do have time to go out, they're pretty much reserved for my friends whom I hardly get to see as it is."

With a fake smile plastered on her face, Sakura nodded in understanding.

"I had fun getting to know you tonight though. You're a really…interesting person Sakura," he confessed sincerely as he stood up. "Your time would be best spent with your own close friends and guys who deserve it. Don't waste it by spending even more time with your boss," he said with a joking laugh. "Besides, I bet guys are just lining up to get a chance to go out with you," he pointed out, looking at her closely. "Unless they're blind," he added.

"Are you blind?" she blurted out, yet again, without thinking. She didn't know why but she seem to always be out of her rational train of thought whenever she's talking to him.

With a grin playing about his lips, he gave a little shrug of his broad shoulders.

"Maybe."

Sakura smiled at him and stood up as well. "Good night Mr. Li."

"I'll see you Monday," he said with a small nod of his head as he walked back towards the park entrance across Li Corp.

* * *

"I suppose it was worth a try," Sakura said in a depressed tone.

Tomoyo looked at her with a sad look on her face. "He really is blind then. And a jerk too!"

Sakura's head shot up from the table. "He's a really great guy. I should even be glad he was being all honest with me in the first place. It's better than being led on to believe the impossible after all."

"Yes, but…the least he could have done is give you a chance. Right?" she said in her best friend's defense.

"I can't blame him though. I am _just_ his secretary after all," she reasoned realistically. "I really am way out of his league."

"Oh Sakura, don't be so hard on yourself. More chances will come. It's still early, don't give up yet. You'll never know, you might get another chance. Just make sure to completely woo him next time."

Sakura looked up at her and smiled a little before looking down the street with a blissful look on her face. They were currently having brunch outside one of the restaurants just a block down from their condo and the streets were busy for a Saturday.

"He really is a great guy though," she said, making Tomoyo look at her knowingly.

"Great enough for you to fall in love with him this fast?"

That sent a jolt into Sakura's being. In love? She wasn't in love with him.

"You look like you're starting to fall in love with him already," Tomoyo pointed out.

"I'm just… Amazed. He's just really admirable, that's all. It's really hard to not like him."

* * *

"Sakura?" Syaoran said into the phone while signing a few papers quickly.

"_What can I do for you sir?"_

"Come here," he said in a no nonsense tone and a few seconds later, she appeared inside his office. He looked up and started stacking more papers. "I want you to have these photocopied and fax it over to Paris. And tell Fuutie to distribute copies of it pronto to the heads of departments there."

"Fuutie?" Sakura echoed while jotting down everything he had just said.

"My sister. She's the CEO of Li Corp. in Paris. She knows what to do but tell her just in case she decides to leave these for later. This is quite important," he explained as he was putting on his blazer and checking his watch at the same time. "I have an important business meeting in a few minutes. I'll be leaving you with Paris for the rest of the day and whatever affairs Fuutie has. Take a note of them and tell me anything important later. And tell Fuutie to not contact me within the next few hours. She tends to force calls even if I'm in important meetings."

* * *

"Hi, this is Ms. Kinomoto from Li Corp. Tokyo, I'll be faxing over some files directly from Mr. Li's office," Sakura informed.

"_One moment please."_

Sakura tapped her fingers lightly on her desk and hummed a tune. Almost a month working as Syaoran's secretary and things has certainly been better. She was getting the hang of her duties and things were already starting to die down. At least, she thinks so. Her workload's much better now compared to when she first began.

"_Hello?"_

Sakura jumped at the new voice who had spoken Japanese. "Uhm… Hello?" she responded unsurely back in Japanese.

"_Is this Ms. Kinomoto? Xiao Lang's secretary?"_ the new, much younger, and much playful voice asked.

"Yes, may I ask who this is please?" Sakura asked unsurely.

"_Ms. Kinomoto, this is Li Fuutie, Xiao Lang's sister," _at the mention of her name, Sakura immediately sat straight up.

"Oh! Good afternoon Ms. Li."

"_Tell me, what were my brother's instructions to you before you made this call?"_

Sakura looked at the receiver before telling her everything Syaoran had told her. When she finished, however, she started giggling.

"_Well, Ms. Kinomoto, before I hand you back over to one of my secretaries for that fax, I have a favor."_

"What kind of favor?" Sakura said before readying her pen and notebook for any important instructions.

_"There's a party held for him, my sisters and I next weekend. I'll be flying to Tokyo as will my sisters next Friday, just in time for the two day event. This is supposed to be a surprise kind of thing but my sisters and I have found out about it early and decided to pitch in and help with preparations. Xiao Lang still hasn't got a clue though, so he's the only one left in the dark."_

"Yes, what would you have me do exactly?"

"_Well, you just have to get him to the venue without him knowing it. Can you do that?"_

Sakura responded with an unsure sound before she said "I'll try."

"_Good, and make sure he doesn't get suspicious. Okay? If he does, he might end up not coming, he really doesn't like gatherings like these. He thinks parties in our honor are wholly unnecessary. But this is quite important for us because he hardly has the time to see us for too long because of work, not to mention, this party is held by Li Corp.'s friends and business partners especially for us."_

"I understand, so where exactly is the venue and what are the things needed done on Syaoran's part?"

"_I'll have my secretary e-mail you all the details. Not much really. Just get him there dressed appropriately. It's a black-tie event, masquerade. You have to dress up too."_

"I have to dress up too?" Sakura echoed incredulously.

"_Yes, I think it would be most appropriate if you came to the party with Syaoran. He'd appreciate it too I think. You can double as his date whilst doing secretarial duties. I heard you're quite the linguist. That'll be good since the event is going to be full of people from all of Li Corp.'s branches."_

"Yes, but I-"

"_Excellent! As for Sunday, the events won't last long, maybe just well after lunch. Pack up something casual for that day. It's just going to be a series of games at the same venue."_

"But, Ms. Li, I-"

"_That's pretty much it. I have to go. If you have any inquiries, please feel free to speak to any of my secretaries. They can answer your questions. And remember, _not _a word to Syaoran!"_

* * *

"Nice," Tomoyo commented with an amused look on her face as she read through the sheet of paper Sakura had shown her containing details of the two day event this weekend. "I suppose this does explain the mad dash to find something wearable," she added with a giggle at Sakura who was looking quite frantic in front of the changing room mirror, still with a rack full of dresses she has to try on.

"This is getting ridiculous!" she said hopelessly, throwing her arms in the air and sitting down on the cushioned stool in the cubicle. She gave a rather pained look at the mustard yellow dress she was currently wearing. It looked simply hideous, which was how most of the dresses she had just tried out looked on her. "I can't go to that event Tomoyo."

"First of all, I think you look very pretty. It's definitely not your color but you still look good in it, which is saying something. You just need the right dress, that's all. And you are definitely coming to this event!"

"Can't you come with me though?" Sakura pleaded hopefully.

"I can't, even Eri's invited to some kind of party this weekend too but I said no. My mother's visiting from England and I haven't seen her in ages," she explained whilst still looking through the rack of dresses.

Sakura sighed hopelessly at this. "Then I'm not going."

Tomoyo turned with her hands on her hips. "Now now, Sakura. This is your chance! This is a blessing, a miracle even! You get to dress up and look your best and be with Syaoran all night. This might be the only chance you'll get to be this close to him while looking so mouthwateringly good. Don't pass it up. That is, unless you already plan on giving up on getting him to marry you?"

Sakura looked at her best friend and smiled a little. "You're right. I have to get my head in the game!" She stood up to look in the mirror again. "I won't get any mouths to water in this dress though. I look like an oversized and deceased marigold flower!"

"A cute, oversized and deceased marigold flower," Tomoyo corrected, making Sakura laugh. "We need to head to another store then."

* * *

She breathed in deeply and fidgeted once again on her seat.

"Are you okay, miss?" The much older man beside her inquired with concern in his voice.

Sakura gave him a reassuring nod before fidgeting once again. "Just nervous."

He looked at her and smiled before shifting the gear to park right in front of a high skyscraper.

With one last deep breath, she nodded at herself before taking out her cell and dialing a number.

"_This is Li."_

Sakura shivered slightly at the sound of her boss' voice. "Mr. Li, I have been informed that your limo had just arrived outside of Li Corp."

"_Very well, I'll be out in ten minutes. Tell me again why I have to take a limo to this business meeting? And I still don't understand why it's so formal."_

"Err… It's this French business tycoon. It's just his way of things. He likes the formality," she explained rather lamely.

Sakura could hear Syaoran snort at the other end of the call before speaking again.

"_We better get a good deal out of this. I don't even know this person and already we're going all out for this meeting."_

With a short- and forced –giggle, Sakura looked over at the driver beside her who was simply staring at her with brows raised.

"Yes, well, I heard quite a few things of his reputation from people over at Li Corp. in France. This should all be well worth it."

"_Right, I hope so. I'll be heading there now. Did you message all the details to the driver?"_

"Yes sir."

"_Alright, just be on standby for instruction if there's any Ms. Kinomoto. You have a good weekend."_

"I will, sir, thank-" Sakura stopped short as he spotted Syaoran exit the building's spinning doorway entrance. She could feel her mouth start to water as he watched his progress down the set of stairs towards the limo she was currently riding in. He was drop dead handsome in a jet black suit that fitted him perfectly. The thin black tie, black leather shoes, and the single white rose bud on his breast pocket only made him look better than he already did. Not to mention his slightly ruffled hair- which was left only a little messier than usual –only added to his charm.

"_Hello?"_ came Syaoran's voice unsurely.

"Errr… Thank you, sir. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. Good bye!" she said hastily before hanging up and watching him draw nearer.

Sakura looked over at the driver and gestured for him to raise the black divider between the front seats and the back.

The driver looked at her curiously before doing as she asked.

In less than a minute, Sakura heard the car door at the back of the limo open, then close. And in no time at all, the phone that was resting between her and the driver, started ringing. The driver pressed a button and Syaoran's voice rang in a low volume in the compartment.

"_This is Li, my secretary Sakura Kinomoto, informed me that she gave you details of the location?"_

The driver looked at Sakura for a second and Sakura merely nodded and placed a finger in front of her lips, indicating that he not tell Syaoran she was even there.

"Yes sir, it's all taken care of. We'll be there in an estimated time of 30 minutes, depending on traffic."

"_Okay, please inform me when we're nearly there."_

"Very well, sir."

When the call hung up, Sakura visibly sagged on her seat and exhaled rather loudly.

"May I ask?" the driver said with a curious smile playing around his lips.

"It's a long story," Sakura replied.

* * *

Syaoran relaxed in his seat and looked out of the car window, watching the street lights move past him in succession. It has been one heck of a week. He doesn't mind working day in and day out, he's used to it and he even enjoyed it. But he did, however, want a break or two in between.

This week in particular had been very hectic. He's just grateful that all of his secretaries have gone and helped him deal with it all, especially Sakura. Considering she hasn't been long under his personal employ, he had expected to have her under constant watch for any mistakes and such but the need wasn't necessary which, of course, he is grateful for. It's one more load off for him to not have to watch out for any mistakes where she and the company in France is concerned.

Syaoran hadn't noticed he'd been staring off into space until the phone inside the limo rang to life.

"Yes?"

"_Mr. Li, we will be arriving at the destination shortly."_

"Thank you," he replied curtly before sitting up and looking more attentively outside the window.

Syaoran watched as the car eventually entered a long drive way, and he could see a large patch of bright lights at the end of the road. He squint his eyes and he could see a number of limos and cars that were lined up where people were stepping down towards the entrance.

Brows furrowed, he looked questioningly around as they got nearer. The guests were as finely dressed as he was. They were wearing masks. Confused, Syaoran pulled out his cell and called a number on his speed dial list.

* * *

Sakura looked at the people getting off the cars in awe. They were dressed so fancy it all seemed intimidating to her. Sure, she's been to plenty of formal parties, but this one still seemed to be out of league to the ones she's been to. Before her nerves got the best of her, she looked down onto her lap as her cell started to vibrate. She had set it silent before Syaoran ever came into the limo.

She looked down at Syaoran's name on the screen and bit her lip.

After three more missed calls, she received a message.

_Why aren't you answering my calls? You have a_ lot _of explaining to do._

_I'm at this "business meeting" you sent me to, and this seems more like a party than anything._

_– Li Xiao Lang __–_

"Are you okay, miss?" the driver has asked once again.

Sakura's head snapped towards him and gave a curt, single nod. She was so in for it. She's going to get fired for setting Syaoran up for sure.

* * *

Syaoran was fuming slightly as the limo slowly drew close towards the front entrance to the resort. For one thing, he wasn't sure anymore as to why he was there. This didn't seem like a business meeting place at all. And for another, if there was a masquerade going on inside, he'd be solely out of place seeing as he didn't have a mask to cover himself with.

Sighing and looking at his phone irately to see that Sakura had neither called him back nor replied to his message, he pocketed it and stepped out as a man opened his door.

"Welcome, Mr. Li," he greeted with a bow, an arm gesturing towards the steps leading up to the building.

Slightly surprised, Syaoran nodded at him. He supposed he really was at the right place, seeing as the man knew exactly who he was.

"This is yours, sir," the man added, holding out a flat box towards him before he could step off the car.

Syaoran took it and opened it, and inside was a black mask, that when worn, would cover the area around his eyes, half his nose, and even the corners of his forehead, cheeks and jaw line. He put it on, and it fit perfectly. It was made for him.

Getting even more curious, he stepped out and nodded at the man in thanks before stepping inside the building where the other guests were headed, and followed them all the way towards another set of doors that led to the back garden.

It was an extravagant event, and on the stage situated on the shoreline, in front of the beach, he could see a band set up, playing slow–tuned music and the back drop with the words: "Li Corp."

Syaoran stood by the entry way to the garden where guests were walking about and talking. Some were dancing on the wide space on the center, others gathered in small groups around tall tables with wine glasses and small appetizers in their hands, laughing jovially as they conversed.

"Xiao Lang!"

Syaoran stiffened as he heard the female voices shriek out his name from somewhere in the crowd. A lot of people turned to the direction of two finely dressed women. Both looked alike, and were both adorned with masks over their eyes with fancy peacock feathers although of different colors that matched the color of their own gowns.

"Of course," he muttered with a sigh as he watched the two of four of his sisters come bustling towards him with wide smiles plastered on their faces. Seeing them there only explained every questionable thing he's been thinking of that night.

"Oh Xiao Lang!" both sisters shouted adoringly as they flung their arms around their brother who has long surpassed their height.

"Fuutie, Fanren," he acknowledged with a nod and a smile tugging the corner of his lips. He was caught. On one hand, he was glad to see his sisters, on the other, he was apprehensive to show too much emotion seeing as- regardless of the masks the guests wore –he could recognize some of them, and most were business partners of their company.

"Oh Xiao Lang, stop being so formal!" Fanren, the third of the four sisters who ran Li Corp. in Spain, said exasperatedly. "You have to let loose sometimes."

"Yes, Xiao Lang, this is a party, have a drink, have fun, be merry!"

Syaoran raised a brow at them, and before he could give a reply, "Xiao Lang!" two more women shouted with the same enthusiasm as the two previous women had.

Syaoran shook his head and let the last two of his sisters- both also wearing extravagant masks which matched their gowns -hug him. Both also had grins on their faces.

"We missed you little brother!" Xiefa said in earnest.

"Yes, you hardly ever visit," reprimanded Fiemie, poking Syaoran on the chest.

At this point, almost all of their guests were turned their way, watching their interaction curiously and interestedly.

The four sisters smiled at them widely and gave a wave to some of the people in the crowd, whilst Syaoran nodded at those he recognized. All five of them walked down the steps and started walking amongst the crowd, trying to blend in, although Syaoran towered most of the guests so obviously, it was impossible to not spot him.

"Syaoran, I'm glad you're here."

"Yes, we thought you might somehow manage to ditch us again."

"To be honest, I would have had I known this was the kind of 'business meeting' I was about to attend," he replied accusingly.

They all grinned at him.

"What is this gathering for, anyway? You could have just told me. I still can't believe you managed to fool me into coming here."

"Oh yes," Fuutie exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Where's Ms. Kinomoto? She was the one who helped me get you here in the first place. I wouldn't have managed to get you here without her help."

* * *

It's been 30 minutes since Syaoran had left the car and the minute Sakura noticed the coast was clear, she sent the limo driver off and had gone towards reception and checked in for Syaoran. She was now in the lavish suite she had booked for him upstairs and was setting aside his overnight things with his clothes for the next day.

Looking at the room, and Syaoran's possessions in place, she gave a sigh and resolute nod before heading to the bathroom with her own bag. She hadn't brought overnight clothes or for the next day because she fully intended to go home after the night's activities. Sure, it would be better for her to stay, it would be a good opportunity to get close to Syaoran but the resort they were in was too expensive. She can actually afford it, but it would be a waste of money as well.

Sighing, she undressed and packed her belongings in a duffel bag before unzipping the large clothe bag she brought with her. Inside, was a long deep green gown made of a material much like silk. It had a sheer cloth, like a sash that wrapped tightly around her breast area before going up, forming a flower around one shoulder, before wrapping around her chest area again from the back. The skirt of the gown ran all the way to the ground, it was even longer than Sakura which was why she had to wear the four inch silver pumps with it.

The style of the gown was simple. There were diamonds and emeralds strategically placed everywhere from the waist down that made it sparkle, and that was what made the gown fancy, at least. She didn't want to look underdressed or overdressed; she didn't want to stick out in this gathering. These people were in Syaoran's circle, she'd rather blend in than be recognized, she knew the rich and famous can get nasty in terms of status and she was only Syaoran's secretary after all.

"_One_ of his secretaries," Sakura corrected herself with a shake of her head. The minute she finished zipping up the gown and shifted a little, she noticed it. "Oh no…"

She quickly went over to the full body mirror and saw it, the gown- which she hadn't checked from the bag since she brought it home three days ago –had a long slit up the right leg. A very long slit. The entire fit of the skirt, which she remembered to be slightly loose, was wrong. It was significantly tighter now. Sakura immediately put on her shoes and stood in front of the mirror yet again.

She stared at herself horrified. With every single movement, her entire leg can be seen. The slit went up higher than half the length of her thigh. "Tomoyo!" she screamed accusingly, immediately knowing this was her doing.

Sakura kept examining herself in the mirror. It didn't look bad, not at all, in fact it even looked better but she really didn't want to get any sort of unnecessary attention from wearing this sort outfit.

Panicking now, she ran to her bag and pulled out the other boxes she had brought. She opened the jewelry boxes and thankfully, they were the same ones she had packed. A jewelry set of diamonds with emerald accents.

She opened the box where she had stored her mask, and to her horror yet again, it wasn't the one she had originally put in there. The mask she had brought was a simple glittery green. This mask was silver that matched her shoes, with emeralds similar to the ones on her gown, strategically placed in swirls at the corner of her eyes that made her eyes look sharper and catlike when she held it up to her face. There were also short, fluffy feathers with different shades of green placed at the sides, like wings.

"Tomoyoooooo…" Sakura moaned. This was too much. It all looked so glamorous but it was too much. She was going to stick out like sore thumb, she knew it. The people she had seen entering the resort as they arrived were in fancier and undoubtedly more expensive attires but nothing this eye-catching, mostly because they were much older than she was and had come in gowns of neutral shades.

As if on cue, her cell phone rang.

_Judging by the time, I'm guessing you're at the party now. I hope you're having fun!_

_You're welcome for the mask and gown alterations by the way. You're going to have Li begging to have you before the night is over! ;)_

_– Tomoyo Daidouji __–_

Sakura gritted her teeth before putting her phone back inside her purse, not bothering to reply.

Shaking her head furiously, she took deep breaths. What was wrong with her? If she fully intended to get Syaoran to fall in love with him and propose to her (eventually), she had to do all she could and this definitely would fall in her favor to make that happen sooner than later.

With a determined fire in her eyes, Sakura took out her case of make-up supplies and started working. She had already had her hair done before she came. It was curled before being pinned in little sophisticated curls on her head. All that was left is for her to put on the diamond headed pins in random areas.

* * *

"I miss you," Eriol said, a smile eternally plastered on his face.

"_I miss you too Eri, I'm sorry again I couldn't come."_

"Not a problem. Promise you'll come with me the next time?"

"_I promise. You have fun though… Try not to flirt around?"_

"Of course not, I have eyes only for you," he reassured, pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning on since he had gotten there. "I'll call you when the event is over okay?"

"_Okay, I'll speak to you later."_

"I love you Tomoyo," he said in total sincerity.

"_And I love you Eriol."_

Grinning like a goofball, Eriol pocketed his phone before turning to the large mirror that comprised one large portion of the lobby. He checked his reflection as he put on his own mask.

"This party better be worth ditching meeting my girlfriend's mother," he told himself before letting loose a few strands of hair from the tie.

As he did so, Eriol noticed a lone figure through the mirror's reflection, walking down the grand staircase that was situated right behind him. A young woman walked down the stairs slowly, holding on to the railing as she did. She was wearing a gown that hugged every curve of her slim figure and revealing a jaw dropping amount of the flawless skin of her long leg as she continued her descent.

Smirking, he briskly walked out towards the grounds, with one thought in mind.

"Syaoran!" he called out, immediately catching his best friend's eye in the crowd, who waved him over.

Eriol walked towards him, a grin still on his face. "Ladies," he greeted, nodding at the quadruplets.

"Hey Eriol!" they all greeted in return.

Syaoran looked at him, "What is it?"

"I found her," he told him under his breath.

"You found who?"

"The perfect girl," Eriol supplied unhelpfully.

"Eriol, you're my best friend, but if you keep reminding me of how perfect your girlfriend is every chance you get, I swear to God, I'll punch you."

"No, no, no!" he said hastily, "I meant the perfect girl for you."

"I doubt it, but go on," Syaoran retorted offhandedly.

"I'm serious, she's gorgeous. Not as gorgeous as Tomoyo," Eriol said, earning him a snort from Syaoran who knew of just how deep his feelings ran for his girlfriend, "but if I didn't have Tomoyo, I'd definitely go for this one."

"Just because a girl is beautiful in the outside, doesn't mean she's the same in the inside, you should know that," he said with a look telling Eriol to recall the last girl, and quite frankly, most of the girls Syaoran had dated.

"Get to know her then, you never know! She may not be like Chizuru," he reassured. "Seriously, Syaoran, you've been neglecting your personal life for a while now. Chizuru was manipulative and money hungry. Not all girls are like that."

"Yes, but Lia, Yui, Rina, and all the other girls were," Syaoran said, ticking off the most recent girls he had dated even if it had been a while since the last. He couldn't even remember some of their names anymore. Not that he's trying hard to.

"Come on, you never know. She might not be as bad as the others. How much bad luck can you still possibly have with women? Besides, its physical attraction that starts everything and I'm sure you'll approve of her physically. Once you do, you can just try to get to know her more and see then."

Sighing, Syaoran waved a hand at him to shut him up. "Fine, fine, so where is this girl?"

* * *

"You can do this, you can do this," Sakura muttered to herself over and over again like a mantra.

She hasn't even entered the garden where the party was yet and already she has been getting looks from the few people who had seen her thus far.

With one last and very deep inhalation of breath, Sakura stepped out of the doorway and looked around the crowd gathered below at the garden.

* * *

"Well?"

He looked over at Eriol, who had fallen silent, and only just noticed his sisters, who were conversing so energetically just moments ago.

Looking around, he noticed quite a number of people turned to the figure that was slowly descending the short steps towards the gardens, the bright lights of the lobby behind her, illuminating her like a forest nymph in the woods with the sunlight sparkling against her image.

People were talking in hushed voices as they continued to watch the young woman walk slowly through the throng of people.

Eriol was tapping Syaoran lightly and nodding at the newcomer's direction. "Her," he said unnecessarily.

Syaoran simply watched her progress though the grounds. People were making way for her as she walked.

Eriol's brows shot up. "She's coming this way," he said, breaking his gaze and looking over at Syaoran who was still watching her as she slowly made her way so obviously towards them now.

"Do you know her?" Fanren asked Eriol as she and her sisters too looked away so as not to seem too rude for staring.

He shook his head and nudged at Syaoran hard in the ribs.

Syaoran's gaze broke away and looked at him.

"Do_ you_ know her?" Eriol asked, seeing as neither he nor the sisters knew her though obviously the woman knew someone nearby since she was heading in their direction.

Syaoran shrugged and shook his head. He felt like he did, yet didn't know her. For one thing, the young woman was wearing a mask that covered too much of her face, her lips being the only distinguishable part.

In a few but very long- in Syaoran's opinion –seconds, she had arrived and halted right in front of him.

Without a word, and not looking up at him, she gave a curtsey in his direction, in which case he reached forward and kissed the back of her hand.

* * *

Sakura was blushing furiously now. Syaoran kissed her hand, and everyone nearby was watching. Thank goodness the rest of the crowd started going back about their business although quite a number of them were still watching, including four women as well as a man about Syaoran's age, height, and build who was standing right beside him.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Sakura spoke in a small voice.

The moment he heard her, Syaoran, who still hadn't let go of Sakura's hand since he took it when he kissed it, pulled her towards him slightly.

She looked up at him in surprise, bright emeralds to curious and equally surprised amber.

"Sakura?" he sounded shocked but there was no mistaking that sparkling shade of green.

"Syaoran," she said with a little bow of her head before she froze. Was she allowed to call him that? Or should she have referred to him as Mr. Li? She had never called him by his first name before, she had always addressed him as "Mr. Li" or "Sir" and here she was, addressing him like they were close when he was only his secretary, in front of his peers, no less.

This obviously took Syaoran by surprise too. He had pulled her yet again but this time harder, towards the dance floor where a number of couples were dancing slowly to a jazz number.

The sisters gaped at this, as did Eriol. They watched Syaoran twirl her around once before resting her arms around his neck and wrapping his own around her waist.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I actually wrote this chapter two years ago. I just never uploaded it because I wasn't entirely happy with how this turned out and was so unsure of the direction of this story. But seeing as I won't get anywhere unless I go for it, here it is! I'm sorry if you hate it, but it'll get better... Eventually. I hope.

Also, my manner of writing seem to have changed over the years. The more recent chapters I wrote for this story has a different "tone" to it (I think) which might be noticeable later on (maybe).

All that said, I'm sorry for my tardiness with this new chapter. This time around, I promise to update sooner!

**Raeny**


	5. Impressions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

And with this update, I am officially UNdisgraceful!

Please read and review!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**"Impressions"**

* * *

"What in the world?" Fiemie asked in a faint voice as she and her sister continued to stare openly at Syaoran on the dance floor.

None of them had seen Syaoran do much of anything with a girl in a while. Not since his last failed relationship almost three years ago.

Girls who come up to him and manage to get his attention always had some motive, regardless if they were already rich to begin with. It had hardened Syaoran over time in terms of trusting anyone to that degree which was hard for them to watch.

Yes, they've seen and heard news of him time and again being spotted in several locations with different women, but nothing which looked this… Intimate.

He had dates, yes. But no one has ever seen, nor has the paparazzi taken pictures of him and his dates being this close. The most was when he held a famous Spanish opera singer by the waist towards the car coming from a restaurant when he had visited Barcelona half a year ago, that's it.

So watching their brother pull in this random girl they didn't even know into a close dance in front of people they all knew, was kind of a shock after all this time.

"Who is she?" whispered the rest of the sisters to each other as they continued to watch on.

* * *

It had been a few minutes since they had started dancing although to Sakura it felt like hours. She and Syaoran hadn't broken eye contact since they got on the dance floor.

It was only when the third song had begun did the silence between them had finally broken.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't tell the truth about all this," Sakura said. She couldn't stand the silence between them anymore. Any longer and she felt like she would've burst.

Syaoran shook his head.

"It's not your fault. I'm guessing one of my sisters put you up to it? They have a habit of doing things behind my back."

Sakura giggled, which made Syaoran smile.

"That was a delightful sound," he said, which made Sakura stop doing so abruptly and start flaring up around the cheeks again. If she keeps blushing more than she already had, the color is going to stick there permanently.

"Th-thank you," she replied shortly, looking away now.

It was only that time as well did Sakura notice that she and Syaoran were receiving a lot of curious looks, and that included the five people whom Syaoran was standing with earlier.

"Uhm… Your friends are staring at us."

Syaoran looked up to see his sisters watching him with looks on their faces that clearly said "You owe us an explanation" and Eriol who was grinning smugly.

He rolled his eyes. "Those are my sisters, Fiemie the oldest runs our company from Hong Kong, Xiefa in London, Fanren in Barcelona, and Fuutie whom I'm guessing was the one you've spoken to about this event, runs Li Corp. in Paris.

Sakura nodded mutely, glancing at the four women before looking away again when she caught them all in the eye. They were all extremely beautiful.

"Eriol, my best friend," he added with a nod in Eriol's direction who winked at Sakura, and at which, she blushed even more.

Syaoran raised a brow at her and then at Eriol who raised his hands up in defense.

"You made quite the entrance earlier by the way," Syaoran commented suddenly.

"Yes, well, I did arrive late. I didn't offend anyone with my tardiness, did I?"

Syaoran laughed at this. "You're joking, right?"

"Joking about what?" Sakura asked, bewildered, mostly from the sound of his laugh rather than his statement. He surprisingly had a nice, boyish laugh.

"Sakura, they didn't stare at you because of your tardiness, they stared at you because…"

He looked down at her, scrutinizing her for a few seconds, wondering what the appropriate thing to say would be.

"They stared because you are the most beautiful thing that had walked out those doors since the evening began."

At this point, Sakura was sure her entire face was the color of ripe tomatoes.

"Excuse me?" someone had suddenly interrupted, speaking in Chinese.

Both turned around to see a man, who looked to be around his 40s. He had bowed to Sakura, then to Syaoran, asking if he could cut in.

Syaoran looked like he wanted to say no, but then greeted the man in Chinese with a respectful smile which made Sakura think that both men were actually good friends.

"Would you mind dancing with me?" he asked Sakura, by which Sakura replied her assent in Chinese. She could tell he was impressed by this.

Syaoran and the man exchanged a few words before shaking hands. He then bowed to Sakura before taking her hand and kissing it again.

"Just this once," he whispered into her ear which made her shiver, and he walked towards the sidelines where his sisters and Eriol were standing.

* * *

"Syaoran! Who is she?" reprimanded all four women the moment he was within earshot.

Syaoran raised his eyebrows at them.

"Her name is Sakura," he answered shortly.

The moment he did, a lot of questions were being flung his way. He held up a hand and shook his head at his sisters. "She's just a friend," he said simply before looking at Eriol and gesturing him to follow. "You better go around and see to the guests. This party may be for us, but it's kind of rude of us to keep to ourselves, don't you think?"

All four of them pouted and did as he said. He did have a point.

* * *

"What's up?" Eriol said the moment they had reached the bar where Syaoran had immediately asked the bartender for two glasses of gin.

"Nothing, just wanted to get away from my sisters' pestering," he said with a sigh.

"Speaking of pestering," Eriol started with a grin already forming on his lips.

"She's a friend, nothing more, nothing less."

"Seems like more than that to me," Eriol said as he caught Sakura looking their way as she was spun around by the man she was currently dancing with. "She looks quite taken with you. Have you known each other long?"

"Only since she started working directly for me."

"She's that new secretary you told me about?" Eriol asked in surprise.

"That's her," Syaoran said with a nod, staring at Sakura over the glass he was drinking from.

"You weren't kidding," Eriol said, recalling Syaoran saying that his new secretary was quite the looker aside from actually being accomplished for her age.

* * *

Sakura nodded politely at the man before he took his leave and let another man, who looked to be around 30 take her hands and started to dance.

Syaoran had said he was going to let that first man dance with her, he had said "just this once" and yet this was the fourth man he had danced with and he had yet come back to her.

Smiling politely, she conversed with the man in fluent French as they danced.

"May I cut in?" a familiar voice interrupted in equally fluent French exactly when the song ended.

The man nodded at Syaoran and took his leave.

He took Sakura's hand and led her off the dance floor.

"Thank you," she told him sincerely and sat down on one of the chairs from a nearby round table he had taken her to. "I haven't danced this much in a while."

Syaoran sat down on the chair to her right and watched her, a smirk on his face, as she fanned herself with her hand.

"Hungry?"

It was only then that she noticed the plate of food in front of her. Not a moment later, a few people had taken the rest of the seats across from her as well.

"Sakura-san! Would you mind if I called you Sakura? Nice to meet you, my name is Eriol Hiiragizawa. You can just call me Eriol, no need for honorifics," a jovial male voice suddenly said from the seat on her left which was empty mere seconds earlier.

Sakura was caught off guard at his closeness mostly because of how handsome he was. Really, this guy could even compete with Syaoran in terms of physical attractiveness. There was, however, something about the devious way he was grinning at her that strongly reminded her of a sly fox.

* * *

The rest of the night went by pleasantly. Sakura was brought here and there by Syaoran to meet with a variety of people. He hadn't let go of her once, not even to let her dance with the random men who had come to ask for her.

"Are you okay? Do your feet hurt?" Syaoran asked, glancing at her heels although he can't help but let his eyes linger at her bare thigh as well.

"I'm fine," she reassured, waving her hand. "I'm quite used to wearing high heels."

Not a moment too soon, yet another group of people had approached them. Sakura was surprised that Syaoran was in such high demand. Although she noticed his sisters constantly approached by various people as well, he seemed to be more sought after. Every time a person comes close to them, they would always take the opportunity to talk to him and start talking business.

Once they were alone again, Sakura looked up at him with an impressed look on her face.

"What is it?"

"You," she answered truthfully. "I'm amazed at how much of this you can deal with. People have come up to you one after another all night."

He chuckled.

"It's not only for me," he admitted. "Although I'm used to such a reception, I'm pretty sure they're also coming here because they're curious about you."

"Me?"

"Take a look," he said, nodding at the crowd in general. Most of the people nearby were still looking at them, stealing glances every so often and waving at them when they caught each other's eyes. "They're coming here for you as much as they are for me."

"I… I don't see why though. I'm just your-"

Another chuckle escaped his lips.

"I wonder if you have any self-awareness at all," he said with a shake of his head. "Let's go."

"Go?" she asked in surprise as he suddenly pulled her away from the party.

Sakura followed him in silence as he led her down a stone path through random bushes and trees until they reached an open and unlit area. The cool and salty breeze hit Sakura in surprise as did the sound of the roaring waves.

"It's good to take a break sometimes," he admitted with a grin as he started taking off his shoes and socks.

She giggled at his boyishness and followed suit, tossing her heels next to his and wiggling her bare feet into the sand.

"This feels nice!" she said with a wide grin. She can't even remember the last time she had gone to the beach or anywhere near the sea.

Sakura took off her mask and laid it down gingerly on a large flat rock nearby before running down the shore, laughing.

He watched her and chuckled. She was acting like a kid, it was refreshing. He took off his own mask and laid it next to hers before walking down the shore slowly after her.

"Did you have fun at the party?" he called out at the still laughing Sakura who was skipping and twirling around with her hands raised.

"I did! I noticed the party wasn't as formal as I thought it would be, but I haven't been to a party that grand," she said before a guilty smile overcame her. "Again, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it."

He waved a hand at her. "I'm really used to it. It happens when you have four meddling older sisters."

Sakura giggled and grinned.

"Your sisters are very nice and very beautiful. I noticed most of the younger men coming up to them quite a lot through the night."

"If you weren't with me, you'd get the same treatment."

She stopped as his words reached her and blushed. Unfortunately, her mask wasn't there to cover it up this time.

Syaoran smiled and stopped as he reached the spot where she stood in silence.

"Uhm… Thank you," she said unsurely.

"Not a problem."

Sakura looked up at him. He was simply grinning at her. Did nothing faze this man at all? She can't even count the number of times she had blushed or lost her cool from the things he had said and done through the night. Was he immune to female charm or something? Or maybe just used to it.

A few silent moments later, she shook her head and smiled up at him before pointing down the beach where a lighthouse stood not too far away.

"Can we go up there?"

* * *

"Where's Syaoran?"

Fuutie excused herself from the couple she was talking to and turned to Eriol who was standing with his back towards her as he scanned the area.

"I haven't seen him or my sisters since dinner. By the way Eriol, who was that girl? Syaoran's been elusive about it all night!" she said, frustrated.

Eriol laughed and patted her on the head. Although she was older than him and Syaoran, Fuutie acted more like a little sister to them.

"She's Syaoran's secretary. Her-"

"Secretary?" she repeated incredulously, earning them a few stares form people nearby. "You mean Sakura Kinomoto? That's her?"

He nodded.

"When he introduced her as Sakura, I didn't even make the connection. It's a pretty common name for the Japanese you know? But wow… Besides being bright, she's quite the beauty too. It's no wonder Syaoran's been all over her tonight."

Eriol laughed in earnest. "Tell that to him. He insists their relationship is nothing more than boss and employee. I honestly can't tell what he feels but its hard not to be even a little attracted to the girl. Especially since it's so obvious she's into him."

"Oh, oh! You think so too? I did get that when she first entered the party. She seemed quite taken with Syaoran. Even Syaoran seemed partial for her. The fact that he danced with her made it clear. It was obvious he did that to keep the men from this party to back off from her. I noticed he only let the older and married men dance with her."

This came as a surprise to Eriol who didn't even make that observation. So did Syaoran really feel something for Sakura?

* * *

"This is wonderful!" Sakura exclaimed looking over the dim horizon in awe.

The moon was up and was illuminating the sea.

Syaoran nodded and watched in silence, enjoying the breeze on his face. When was the last time he was able to do something like this? College? High school?

They sat there, with their legs dangling through the railing and talked.

"So how long have you been living here in Tokyo?"

Sakura paused for a long while before she could reply and her voice seemed different from earlier. Almost, guarded?

He looked at her.

"Uhmm… After college. I came here and worked soon after I graduated."

"Do you live here alone?"

"I… Err… Yes."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" she answered quickly, smiling at him brightly. "Uhmm… So when did you move to Japan? I seem to know less about you that you do of me. You do have my file after all."

That was a fair point. Syaoran already knew what needed to be known about her from her record at the company.

"Right after college as well. My family already had tentative plans made about starting a branch in Tokyo. Basically they only had the idea of doing it. But as soon as I finished school, I flew over here and did what they only planned on doing and managed to raise Li Corp. here. That's why they let me run things by myself ever since."

"That's really impressive," Sakura said with a sigh and rested her head on the railing. She gazed at the sea in an almost blissful manner.

"I know," he said with a nonchalantly shrug.

She gave him a look and punched him on the arm.

Somehow, the awkwardness of their working relationship has been slowly disappearing as the night progressed. The more time they spent together, the more natural it felt.

"What did I do to deserve that?"

"You could do with a little modesty!" she scolded.

"You praised me. Of course I'd accept it as a compliment. Did you want me to deny it?" he asked.

They both looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"I- Oh," Syaoran pointed at something behind Sakura and noticed it as well.

From the distance, the lights from the party in the garden were bring turned off one by one.

"The party must be over," he said as he pulled back his sleeve to check his watch. "No wonder, it's almost midnight."

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. How long had they been up there? "Ahh, I better leave. My ride's coming at twelve."

Syaoran pulled back his legs and stood up before helping her up as well.

"My sisters mentioned that this is a two day event, you're not staying?"

Sakura smiled. Unless she was mistaken, she heard the hint of disappointment from his voice.

"I can't. I didn't bring any overnight things or clothes for tomorrow."

In silence, they walked down the swirling steps of the lighthouse and back towards the resort, picking up their masks and shoes along the way.

"I had a great time," Sakura spoke up, grinning.

Syaoran nodded and smiled back. "Surprisingly, me too. These kinds of events don't really suit my tastes but tonight was different. I wonder why?"

'He's definitely teasing me,' Sakura thought with an inward giggle.

They had reentered the garden where the staff from the resort was putting away equipment now. Chairs were piled up and table clothes were stacked in the corners. When they reentered the main lobby, nobody was there, not even the receptionist.

"Thank you again for tonight."

"Thank you as well. I'm happy you came Ms. Kinomoto," he said, taking her hand and bowing low to kiss it.

Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly depressed. He had called her Ms. Kinomoto again. Although he had called her by her first name often times before, he only did that when he was in a rush for things to be done at the office. On normal days or on casual terms, it was always Ms. Kinomoto, just like now.

"Ms. Kinomoto, Sakura?"

The male voice took them by surprise and the pair of them turned to the open front entrance. A sleek black car was parked there with the engine running while a man in uniform stood with an inquiring look on his face at her.

"Yes, that's me."

Syaoran was surprised. So she had a service pick her up. She actually spent quite a bit just for tonight.

"You should've told me. I would've had my driver send you back."

She shook her head as they walked outside. The man from earlier had opened the back door for her.

"I'll see you on Monday, Mr. Li," she said, grinning.

This made him chuckle as he helped her slide into the seat.

"See you then."

The door slammed and Syaoran watched, his hands in his pant pockets as the car started to slowly move down the drive way.

It only moved a few meters or so until it stopped again and the passenger window on Sakura's side slid down.

"Uhmm… Mr. Li?"

Syaoran walked over towards it and bent down with his arm over the frame to see Sakura inside looking nervous.

"Is something the matter?"

"I forgot to tell you something," she murmured, a blush on her face.

"What is it?"

She paused for a few seconds before her eyes locked onto his. "I had a lot of fun with you tonight."

Syaoran can't help but chuckle at this.

"I had a lot of fun with you too."

"Thank you again," she said in a lower voice.

Before he could say anything in reply, Sakura had pushed herself from her seat and held onto the sides of Syaoran's face.

"Syaoran," she added, smiling, before her lips touched his in a soft kiss.

* * *

_Sunday – May 29…_

_Monday – May 30…_

_Thursday – June 2…_

_Sunday – June 5…_

_Tuesday – June 7…_

_Friday – June 10…_

_Monday – June 13…_

Sakura stared at the ceiling of her bedroom.

Today was the day. She was going to see him today.

It had been officially two weeks since their "kissing incident" at the party. Two weeks since she had seen Syaoran in person as well.

Who would have known that he'd have to fly to Hong Kong with one of his sisters' right after the party ended after the second day? Not only that, he ended up staying there for two weeks instead of the original three days that was primarily intended.

Syaoran had called her a total of six times and e-mailed her three times but it was all short and straight to the point about affairs he had her settle with the Paris branch. None of those conversations had anything to do with what happened at the party.

The last it was ever mentioned was in his first call to her since that night and all he said was that he had the things she left in his bathroom at the resort delivered to her apartment. Not only was she embarrassed at this, but it totally killed the mood that was left between them as well.

Today, however, she'll be seeing and talking to him in person. There's no way that what happened at the party wouldn't be mentioned.

"Please don't let things be awkward," she prayed before squealing against one of her pillows.

* * *

Tomoyo was grinning at Sakura which made the latter quite uncomfortable.

"What?" she finally asked. They were the only ones in the elevator at the moment.

"Nothing… It's just… You look like you're in a very good mood today."

Sakura blushed before looking up at the numbers lighting up one after another indicating the building floors they passed.

When the floor to Tomoyo's office lit up, the girl bounded out, still grinning madly as she turned around to face Sakura.

"I know you're looking forward to seeing him today. Have fun, future Mrs. Li!" she shouted in a very loud voice- earning her a few stares from passing workers -just before the elevator doors closed on a horrified looking Sakura.

* * *

"So? What else do you want? You can't be here just for_ this_."

"How rude, I came here specifically to see you during my free time and this is the response I get?"

Syaoran gave him a patronizing look.

"Okay, okay," Eriol said defensively with a laugh. "I'm here to see Tomoyo while I'm in the neighborhood. I still can't believe she works here. Can you believe it? We've dated for more than half a year now and I only found out she works here of all places!"

"I can only begin to imagine what kind of conversations you two had since you started dating. Even I knew she worked here when you gave me her name and picture months ago."

"Why didn't you tell me? And besides, when we're together, there isn't much talking involved," he admitted thoughtfully.

Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"If you're going to start talking about your sex life, feel free to leave. The door's right there."

Eriol laughed again and flopped himself onto one of the couches in Syaoran's office, not minding his suit at all.

"My sex life aside, how's yours been going? How's the beautiful secretary?"

"That's what she is, a _secretary_," he retorted simply.

"Just because she's not as rich as the girls you've dated doesn't immediately mean she's a gold-digger. Although I guess the probability of that is much higher."

"I'm not saying that I'm not dating her because of that."

"Then why? The girl's got the looks, the brains, and though I don't know her very well, she seems to have a nice disposition."

He didn't reply.

"Think about it Syaoran. I don't know what's stopping you. I know you've been betrayed quite often in the past but that can't be helped. But it's no reason to condemn the rest of the female population. Do you plan to grow old and gray by yourself? Or do you plan to marry one of your 'friends' someday?" Eriol said the word "friends" in an ironic tone, indicating his acquaintances that he slept with consensually.

Syaoran knew that his words were the truth. He couldn't deny that.

"See?" Eriol said rather smugly. His face had lit up like a Christmas tree. "You know I'm right, right? I can see the acknowledgement in your face."

Syaoran rolled his eyes once more and sighed.

Before either of them could say a word, Syaoran's desk phone rang.

"This is Li," he stated after a press of a button.

"_Mr. Li, I have the finalized documents you asked me to compile last week. All I need is your signature so I can mail it."_

Syaoran stared at the phone before looking up at Eriol who was now up and heading towards the door. He was grinning widely.

"Okay, bring them over Ms. Kinomoto. Before you do, please forward the last e-mail Fuutie's secretary sent you to me."

"_Yes, Mr. Li."_

When the line was cut, Eriol let out a chuckle.

"I'll leave you to it then, _Mr. Li_!" he said before bowing low. He was still grinning maniacally.

Syaoran longed to knock it right off his face.

"Remember, what I said!" he called out once more before opening the door and closing it behind him in one swift motion, leaving Syaoran no time to retort.

He grumbled until his eyes caught the newspaper Eriol had left behind. That was his primary goal in coming to see him after all.

Sighing, he flipped through the pages of the _Tokyo Shimbun_ until he got to the page with a folded corner.

Inside was a two page spread on the party from two weeks ago and amongst the pictures printed there, the largest was clearly of himself and Sakura. Although his name was clearly labeled, Sakura's wasn't. Syaoran had been, time and again, targeted by the paparazzi for being one of the most eligible bachelors in Hong Kong and Japan, but this was the first time much false gossip was made and it seems it's only because they had no idea who his partner was. It seems like the primary goal of this article was to bring Sakura out, or bring someone out to reveal her identity.

'I wonder if she saw this,' he thought just when a knock came from his office doors. "Come in."

* * *

Sakura watched as he folded a newspaper and tossed it across his desk.

"Good morning," she greeted with a bow. "I just forwarded the e-mail and here are the documents."

She walked over towards him and placed it on his desk, all without making eye contact with him.

Syaoran watched her, amused. She was acting shy _now_?

"Would you want me to come back after you finish signing them? There's quite a lot to-"

"It's fine. Take a seat," he said, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his large desk. "I can finish this up quickly."

She nodded mutely and did as he directed.

Syaoran tried to suppress a grin as he opened the folder and took out a fountain pen and started signing one page at a time in a leisurely pace.

'Ugh… This is so awkward,' Sakura thought, distressed now. What can one say to her boss after doing something so bold as to kiss him without his consent? "The… The weather today is lovely, isn't it?"

The moment those words left her, she wanted to crawl under a rock and stay there. Seriously? The weather of all things?

Syaoran snorted which he hastily covered for a cough. Albeit unsuccessfully.

Sakura sighed. "Its fine, you can just laugh. I admit that was rather lame of me."

He didn't laugh, simply smiled as he continued to sign.

"How have you been?" he asked casually.

"Just fine. Even when you weren't around to run things, it's manageable. It's still been really busy though. As I thought, having a job as the CEO's secretary isn't a simple thing although my workload has gotten better... Sort of. I don't have to stay overtime every single day now, at least."

"That's good," he said with a nod, still not taking his eyes off from the documents in front of him.

"So how are you with Josie, Tai, and Mia? Since you four are my secretaries, you only ever get to see and talk to each other every single day unless I ask you to go to different departments."

"It's good. They're all really nice to me, and very helpful. Maybe it's because of the age gap, but they're really motherly."

"That's how they have always been to me too ever since they were hired into my office, even Josie when really she's only five years old than me."

"I can't really compare them to my mother though," she admitted absently, staring off into space.

"Oh? Why not? Was your mother not the doting type?"

Sakura blinked and looked at him. He was watching her curiously now.

"I… I mean… No, it's not that," she amended in a panicky voice. "I just mean, I never actually met my mother. She died when I was born so…"

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Its fine," Sakura said with a forced laugh. "I mean, I grew up with my dad so it's not a totally sad life."

Syaoran stared at her a few seconds more before resuming his work.

* * *

Tomoyo stacked the new documents left on her desk neatly and sighed contentedly.

Not only was her love life doing great and only getting better by the day, Sakura's was having progress as well.

Admittedly, she didn't support Sakura's decision in trying to get Syaoran to fall in love with her just so she can get her father's money. But now…

Tomoyo giggled.

'No matter how much you try to deny it Sakura, your real feelings are always easily seen through your face,' she thought gleefully.

Ever since the masquerade party, the girl had been noticeably easily flustered. Not only that, Tomoyo always caught grinning to herself absently at the most random times.

"Signs of a person in love." If anyone deserved happiness, it's Sakura. Now that she knew her best friend's feelings, that she actually had fallen for Syaoran, she decided to full-on support her.

Tomoyo's train of thought was disrupted as muttering erupted from outside her office. Her door was open and she could tell people were getting excited over something.

"Tomoyo!" Hizumi said eagerly as she dashed inside. An apparent blush was on her face.

"Hizumi-san? What's wrong? Are you alright?" She was amazed at seeing the older woman looking so flustered and so early in the morning too.

Hizumi peeked through the blinds that covered the glass window inside Tomoyo's office from the rest of the open cubicles outside where random people were stirring restlessly.

"Is there something going on?"

"Yes, there's someone here looking for you. I must say I haven't seen such a fine-looking man besides Mr. Li himself for some time now."

"A fine-looking man?" Tomoyo echoed blankly. A certain fine-looking man already came into mind just as she said this.

"Yes he says he's here for you. It's Mr. Hiiragizawa, Eriol. Tomoyo I never knew that you were acquainted with such a…" she trailed off as the man in question made his appearance.

Eriol was grinning, his midnight blue eyes gleaming as his gaze landed on Tomoyo who was sitting there, looking up at him with a dumbstruck expression. His arms were crossed as he stood there leaning against the door frame.

"Hi," he greeted simply.

"Ah! Mr. Hiiragizawa! I said I was going to come and get Ms. Daidouji myself," she said, still flustered.

Eriol aimed his smile at her now.

Hizumi looked like she was ready to faint.

Finally out of her daze, Tomoyo slammed her palms onto her desk and stood up as fast as lighting. "Eriol?!"

* * *

"Here you go. Make sure to double check these before you send them out."

Sakura nodded and took the folder from him.

"Will that be all?"

"Not quite," he said and relaxed back into his chair. He was looking at her more curiously now.

She could feel the blush creeping up her face again. "Y-Yes?"

"Ms. Kinomoto, you remember the conditions of your secretarial job, right?"

"Of course."

"Then you remember how it was stated that this was only a temporary job for you until we find someone to employ on a permanent base."

Sakura felt like she knew where this was going. "Yes."

"Before I went to Hong Kong, I was actually in Paris with Fuutie and found someone suitable for the job. So, by the end of the month, you're officially relieved from your secretarial duties and you can go back to your job as Assistant Head of the Human Resources Department. I'll have your replacement come a week prior so you can endorse your duties and show her the ropes."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I thank everyone who left a review to my last chapter! It didn't garner as much as the first three chapters but it's not something I'm entirely surprised with though. I basically left this story to rot for years after all.

Regardless, thank you to those who left one. Makes me so happy! _*Cries*_

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Raeny**


	6. Getting Close

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

This story is moving on a much faster pace than I thought. Don't be surprised if the months just fly by in the story!

By the way, thank you for all the reviews you guys left! It always makes my day and they really give me the push to write more. Admittedly, I'm having a hard time writing this story to my satisfaction. The following chapter is already done but I seem to be changing it constantly. So frustrating!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**"Getting Close"**

* * *

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, peeking through the now closed blinds.

People outside were already going back to their respective offices and cubicles while a few were still lingering and stealing glances in the direction of her office. She knew her boyfriend was good looking but she didn't know he'd garner this much attention. You'd think he was a celebrity or something.

"What do you mean? I came to see you of course."

She sighed, only remembering that she let slip to him her work details just the day previous. This was precisely why she never mentioned it to him. Ever since Eriol found out where she lived, he had been coming in whenever he pleased. She figured it would be the same with her workplace and turns out her assumptions were spot on.

'Me and my big mouth,' she thought exasperatedly at the sight of his grinning form. He looked perfectly calm and collected. He was obviously not bothered at all that he got the entire floor in a frenzy.

"I'm happy to see you but you should've at least called me first," she scolded, poking him on the chest. "You're lucky my boss isn't so strict. If anyone else found out you were here, I'd-"

He hugged her, deftly cutting her off. "It's fine. I know a few people who work here too."

Tomoyo was surprised at this. She knew Eriol was a doctor who worked at Madoka General Hospital, how can he have anything to do with a finance group such as Li Corp.?

"You mean you have had patients who work here?"

"You could say that," he said with a chuckle, immediately thinking about Syaoran and his appendicitis scare a few years ago.

* * *

"Sakura? Are you okay?"

Sakura glanced up at Tai and Mia were both getting ready to leave for the day.

"I'm fine," she reassured before picking up her purse and a few folders. "Just a bit tired I guess.

"Well, take it easy. It's no good seeing you knocked out like that."

She smiled and waved as both women started down the hallway towards the elevators before making her way down the opposite direction to the toilet.

"This has got to be a record." She stared at her reflection despairingly. "Two months. I, Sakura Kinomoto, was hired as a secretary and will be fired and replaced in just two months. What the heck is that?"

Sakura knew full well from the beginning this was a temporary job, and Syaoran did say she would still be paid for it in addition to her job as assistant head since it was agreed that it was a paid leave.

"I suppose I should've seen this coming," she grumbled now thinking about it realistically. She had been paid worth two jobs since she started being Syaoran's secretary even if she hadn't done a thing for the HR department since. "Of course this won't last forever."

All the same, it was hard to accept. She didn't know what she was going to miss more, the doubled salary or being close to Syaoran. Not to mention, losing this job would mean even less contact with the man. How was she supposed to win his affection now?

* * *

Tomoyo looked at Sakura sadly, and patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. She was caught. On one hand she was glad her best friend was coming back to work in the same area as she was, on the other hand, she doesn't enjoy seeing her miserable at all.

"What am I going to do? I completely lost my chance to try and make him fall in love with me," she moaned, flopping onto Tomoyo's living room couch.

"I think you accomplished the opposite though," Tomoyo stated, grinning.

"What do you mean?" she demanded, sitting upright immediately.

"Oh Sakura, don't even try to deny it. If it's you, I notice everything. The way you've acted lately have really changed. I can easily tell… You've fallen for Li!"

Sakura stared at her unblinkingly.

"The way you talk and the look on your face when you do says it all you know. Admit it. You've fallen in love with your boss."

"No I haven't," she denied with a frown. "I can't think of love now. I have to think about getting my dad's money."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes and shook her head although a smile was still on her face.

"You make yourself sound so greedy."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at her childishly.

"At any rate, you have three weeks until the end of the month. You still have a little bit of time to make a move."

"There's no way I can do that! The first piece of news the man gives me since seeing each other after that kiss was that he's going to fire me. Don't you think that's a sign? I feel like he's telling me to back off. If I do any more, it's going to be more than just a department kicking. I might end up leaving Li Corp.!"

Tomoyo clicked her tongue impatiently and crossed her arms.

"You're looking into it way too much."

"If that's not the case then he could've at least told me about firing me at a later date!"

"He's being considerate. He's giving you a three week notice about the job change," she retaliated with an unaffected shrug.

Sakura gaped at her. No matter what she was going to say, to her it still felt like she was brutally cast to the side for having done such a crude thing to her boss without his consent.

"Yup, I'm definitely finished," Sakura groaned and flopped down on her back once more.

* * *

_Tuesday – June 14…_

_Thursday – June 16…_

_Monday – June 20…_

_Tuesday – June 21…_

_Thursday – June 23…_

_Saturday – June 25…_

_Monday – June 27…_

It was June 27 and summer had just begun. July was nearing.

Sakura had a week left under the direct employ of the CEO until she was to return to the Human Resources Department. She had already met her replacement. Her name was Genevieve Nishihara, a half French, half Japanese woman who was an exotic beauty.

It wasn't just her looks that surprised her, but also her age. The woman was only 29 years old, making her Syaoran's youngest secretary after Sakura, but her face made her look like she was in her early 20s. She was a stunner and it was made apparent by the looks she got when she had shown her around Li Corp. that morning per Syaoran's instructions.

"Don't lose hope yet!" Tomoyo said in a pumped up manner.

Lately it felt like all her energy was absorbed by her.

They were in a newly opened restaurant near Li Corp. for lunch. Sakura had only just left the office after leaving Genevieve who got called in by Syaoran into his office before break.

"So any progress today?" Sakura merely shook her head in response. "I'm sure he'll call you back into his office again tomorrow," Tomoyo reassured.

Sakura smiled slightly. She can't help it. For the past two weeks ever since Syaoran announced her transfer back to HR, he had been calling her into his office to "talk" after hours every Tuesdays and Fridays.

They didn't do much. Simply sitting in his office and discussing about the most random things like what they did back at the masquerade party that now felt like ages ago.

She didn't know why he'd been calling on her for this. Sakura thought that maybe it was partially due to pity for firing her, not that she minded. As long as she got the chance to be closer to him even if it wasn't romantically inclined, she didn't mind. In any case, she had never dared to kiss him again nor did she bring up the first kiss. She couldn't risk scaring him off again if that's what she did before with her last attempt.

* * *

"Will I need to come in tomorrow as well?"

Syaoran shook his head at this. "Sakura will do the proper endorsement on Wednesday. On Thursday, I'll have you work back to back with her so you'll get the gist of it. Take tomorrow off to see the city if you like."

Genevieve beamed at him. "Would you like to join me?" she asked jokingly.

He smirked. "Being me and the job that I have hardly leaves me any free time, and when I do, I'd rather spend it as I see fit."

"You're getting too old Mr. Li," she said, flipping her hair in exaggeration.

Syaoran can't help but laugh at this. "Funny, seeing as you're two months older than me."

She grinned at this just when a knock came from the door.

Before Syaoran could call out an answer, Genevieve had already gone and opened it. Her swift movement was the benefit of having such long legs.

"Ahh! Ms. Sakura!" she greeted, flashing her pearly white teeth.

Sakura took half a step back in surprise. She could've sworn she heard Syaoran laugh so she figured he was in the company of Eriol or something. The man had made frequent appearances in his office lately after all. Besides that, she rarely ever heard Syaoran speak in a casually kind manner to anyone, let alone laugh like this. He had always made sure to keep up a serious and no-nonsense front when he's at work.

"Err… Ahh, hey Genevieve," she greeted back unsurely.

Genevieve looked at her inquiringly. But before she could say anything, Syaoran had already cut in.

"You may leave for today Genevieve."

"Yes, very well then Mr. Li," she told him before turning back to Sakura. She saw the box she was carrying and grinned. "See you later Ms. Sakura!"

As the door closed behind her, Sakura turned to Syaoran who was already looking at her in interest.

"Did I call you in today and forget?"

"No," she answered timidly before walking up to him. "I just thought you'd want to try this. There's a new restaurant nearby, Furanoni, which Ms. Daidouji and I tried. They have delicious desserts. So I… I just thought you'd want to try it too."

Syaoran watched as she placed the box on his desk and slid it towards him.

"Thank you," he said, grinning. "Won't you try it with me?" he added right when he noticed Sakura motioning to leave.

"Ahh, they're for you though, and…"

He gave her a look that simply made her unable to continue her original sentence.

"Okay," she murmured.

Syaoran had already left his desk and was walking towards the corner of his office that was usually neglected. He bent down behind the counter and produced two small sized white plates and two dessert forks.

"Bring those over here."

Sakura did as she was told all the while looking at the vast collection of liquor that was strategically displayed behind him on several shelves.

"Do you drink all of that?" she asked curiously, making him chuckle.

"Not as often as you'd think. I only get to use this area when family or friends come over and force their company on me. That, and when I have casual discussions with business partners. Considering all that though, the stocks I have here are really mostly just consumed by Eriol."

This made Sakura laugh.

"So which category do I fall under?" she asked moments later, trying to push her luck a little.

Syaoran looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds. "I don't know yet," he admitted truthfully.

The past few weeks with Sakura had been pleasant. If anything, he'd been craving her company more and more lately. He hasn't enjoyed any woman's companionship this much since his last girlfriend. This fact only made his feelings and decisions where Sakura's concerned more difficult. On one hand, it was obvious he favored her by how he had been treating her compared to any other employee he had ever had. No way would he ever invite any of his employees into his office for a "chat" but then these feelings only raised flags in him, warning him of his previous experiences with his "serious" relationships.

Sakura continued to look at him for a while before resigning to a sigh and a shrug before opening the box and showing him the contents.

"You choose. Tomoyo and I tried the chocolate and lemon ones earlier. It may look simple but the taste is exquisite!"

"I'll have the lemon then. You can take whichever you haven't tried."

Sakura grinned happily and pulled out the lemon and vanilla pieces of cake.

"What do you want to drink?" he asked, startling Sakura whose gaze was now darting from one bottle to the next behind him.

Now he was the one laughing. Without another word, he pulled out what looked like a bottle of some sort of white wine along with two wine glasses.

"This will taste good with the cake," he explained simply.

"I don't know much about wine but I'll take your word for it."

Both of them raised their glasses and took a sip.

* * *

Tomoyo glanced at the clock in her office and then at her cell phone. It was fifteen minutes past their clock out time and Sakura hadn't contacted her. Since Sakura's workload had decreased significantly lately- seeing as Syaoran didn't really give her anything new to do insisting they be left later on for the new secretary -they had been going home together again except for when she was called into Syaoran's office or when she, herself, had to stay overtime just like today.

Already suspecting what had happened since Sakura did buy a lot of those cakes earlier, she decided on leaving her a text instead of calling.

_Sakura, you're with _him_ aren't you? Good for you! Take the chance and KISS HIM again. You know you want to. Also, I know you've given him those cakes form earlier. If you're eating it with him, make a move okay? I'll go home ahead of you today. You two love birds have fun._

_If you know what I mean. ;)_

___–_ Tomoyo Daidouji _–_

She reread her message and can't help but giggle to herself before sending it and opening up a new message.

"Going home together once in a while is nice too," she told herself, grinning as she typed a message for Eriol to come pick her up later.

Admittedly, that was something she still didn't understand about Eriol's job. Being a doctor, you'd think he'd be really busy with patients but ever since they dated, he seemed to go in and out of work at his discretion.

* * *

"Well I have tried this weird tasting wine before, it was like a- Excuse me," she cut off, feeling the vibrating inside the pocket of her slacks.

Syaoran looked at her as she shifted on her seat on the barstool and pulled out her cell phone.

Not a moment later, Sakura was blushing so deeply and was hastily pushing the gadget back inside her pocket.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, amused.

Sakura looked at him and blushed even more. She shook her head furiously.

To Syaoran, it seemed to make her look guilty of something. He leaned over the counter slightly and peered at her.

"Who was it?" He was genuinely curious now.

"J-Just Tomo- Err… Ms. Daidouji," she amended, looking away and cutting a big piece of her cake and shoving it into her mouth.

It was obvious she wasn't planning at all to say anything on the matter so he let it slide.

"So how long have you and Ms. Daidouji been friends?"

Grateful for the change in subject, Sakura swallowed her cake and took a sip of her wine. "Since I moved to Tokyo. We live across each other in the same building and we both did our internship at the same company before getting into Li Corp."

This piece of information surprised Syaoran. If she lives across from the girl, then why hadn't she met Eriol at all previously and vice versa? From what he already knew, Eriol's been frequenting Tomoyo's place a lot since they started dating and from what he recently gathered, their first meeting was only at the masquerade party.

Sakura and Syaoran talked and talked and talked.

They talked a little about Tomoyo and Sakura's acquaintances who also work at Li Corp. and also discussed Syaoran's own friends which surprisingly comprised of only a few renowned business men and other distinguished individuals including Eriol, who- Sakura was very surprised to find out –was the hospital director of Madoka General Hospital in Tokyo which is only one of the many hospitals that their family owned that spanned across Asia.

They had delved into various current events and even a little about Syaoran's family.

The things he had told her, however, were mostly things that were already public knowledge. It was apparent then that the life of a renowned CEO wasn't a private one at all.

It was only when it was almost 6 in the evening that their chatting had ended and it was only because Syaoran got an important phone call from one of his business partners.

Sakura was cleaning the plates and forks they used behind the counter while Syaoran talked on the phone at his desk. After she was done, she placed the two untouched pieces of cake into the small refrigerator beneath the bar.

She was surprised to see a lot of untouched and unopened bags of chocolate inside. 'Maybe he dislikes overly sweet things,' she thought with a smile. Every time she got a chance to talk to him, she ended up knowing more and more sides to the man.

At this point in time, it was hard to believe that she ever thought he was a frightful person who was overly serious. True he was serious to the point of being scary at times when business was concerned, but after getting to know him more and if it didn't concern work at all, he was actually very charming.

"What are you thinking?"

Sakura jumped and turned, surprised at the proximity of his voice but as she did, the back of her leg hit the refrigerator door and she fell sideways, losing balance.

"Woah," Syaoran held onto her elbow with one hand and her arm on the other.

"Ahh, thank you," she said, holding a hand over her chest.

"Do I really scare you that much?" he teased, grinning.

"You simply surprised me," she retorted, crossing her arms and looking away. "Don't be too full of yourself, Li."

He chuckled. "How rude."

She peaked at him but saw that he was still grinning. She smiled back. "It's getting late, I should go. I have work tomorrow. My boss might fire me sooner than intended if I come in late."

Syaoran's smile faltered slightly at this. He had known for quite some time that Sakura wasn't all too happy to be removed from her position of being his secretary.

It was hard not to notice since her energy levels during working hours have significantly decreased. Usually, whenever he walked pass her outside his office, he would find her perfectly active and smiley. Lately, she seemed more serious and weary.

"Then you should go," he said as he brushed back a few of loose honey brown strands of hair behind her ear with the back of his hand.

Sakura looked up at him mutely. They were close. Too close. As close as they had been when they danced and as close as that time he had leaned into the car window to check up on her.

It was only due to common decency that she restrained herself from kissing him when they were dancing, but that time in the car, knowing there was no one but the driver to see them, she completely lost it.

Her gaze fell onto his perfectly shaped lips and she gulped. She had never seen something so tantalizing.

It took almost a full minute of staring at each other's features closely until Syaoran finally broke the silence.

"Sakura, if you don't go now, I might end up doing something I shouldn't," he said in a low, husky voice that made her insides quiver.

She looked at his eyes. His amber gaze was boring into her.

"I… I can't move," she whispered back truthfully. Her legs felt like lead the moment she realized their closeness. If he wanted them to step apart, he'd have to do it first.

* * *

Eriol glanced at his watch and noticed he was 20 minutes too early from the time Tomoyo had told him to come and knowing her, she' probably kick him out of her office.

The elevator doors opened at that moment, in which case he pressed the number "80" button, making the doors close again in front of him.

* * *

Syaoran exhaled. What in the world was he doing? Sakura was his secretary and they were in his office. Not only was this unethical for him as the boss, the whole situation between them was simply too cliché.

'Shit,' he thought, as her gaze reverted from his lips and up to his eyes. Her eyes which were the color of emeralds that he had grown accustomed to seeing since he hired her looked even more alluring up close. He could clearly see each long, individual hair on her eyelids.

"I… I can't move."

His body moved by its own accord at this point. While one of his hands settled on her waist, the other was now holding onto the side of her face.

"Syaoran…" she whispered in response to his touch.

This did it for him.

He leaned down pressed his lips onto her yielding, soft pink ones.

The moment their lips touched, Sakura could feel something crumble within her. This kiss was nothing like their first exchange. For one thing, Syaoran initiated it. She could feel him move against her slightly which she only responded with equal ardor as she slid her hands up his chest and wrapped herself tightly around his neck.

Syaoran's kiss deepened. His arm slid around her waist and pulled her closer while the other held her firmly on the side of her neck.

The couple kissed for what seemed like an eternity until their movements changed. When Syaoran's tongue gained entrance into Sakura's mouth, he pulled back only a few moments later and started trailing kisses along her jaw and towards her ear.

Sakura gasped when she felt him run his tongue across the outer core of her ear and nibble onto her earlobe. When he shifted slightly to lick the part beneath her ear and start sucking on it, her breathing increased dramatically and she was practically clinging onto him to stay upright now.

"S-Syaoran," she half whispered, half moaned. The sensation she was feeling with just this kind of contact was too much. If they did any more than this now… Just the thought of it gave Sakura Goosebumps and it made her shiver in delight.

Hearing her only seemed to fuel his desire and Syaoran's direction changed. He was making a trail down her neck now, kissing and sucking lightly onto each part of her flesh that his lips touched.

Sakura ran a hand through his soft and unruly hair, messing it even more as her fingers fisted around it firmly. She wanted him to stay there and continue giving attention to the sensitive area on her nape.

It felt heavenly and this was only made clear by the increased volume of her moans.

When Syaoran made an attempt to go down even further, there was a sudden and erratic banging that resonated from his office doors.

Sakura jumped and the couple broke apart. They looked at each other in surprise then at the entrance where the doors still remained close and the odd banging sounds continued.

"Shit, Eriol," he muttered under his breath knowing full well it could only be he who would knock on his door in that childish manner. He pulled Sakura back behind him just as the banging stopped although the doors still remained closed.

Sakura, who was still partially in a daze, stumbled behind him and held onto the back of his suit coat to steady herself.

'What?' she thought to herself blankly. She could still feel her skin tingling pleasantly although Syaoran had clearly stopped kissing her. It was only when she looked down did she even realize the reason why Syaoran was covering her.

Her clothes were a mess. Her blouse was un-tucked from her pants with several of the buttons from the bottom unopened. When did this happen?

It was a few seconds later that the doors finally opened to reveal Syaoran's carefree best friend who strolled right in, whistling.

"Syaoran, I'm gonna hang with you a while until… Oh." He stared unblinkingly for a moment before a wide smile cracked across his face. "Well I'm sorry. I could always come back another time," he said teasingly with gleaming eyes.

Sakura was still covered by Syaoran's much larger frame but her arms could be seen furiously working on buttoning and rearranging her top.

Syaoran glared at Eriol, hard. It was a face he reserved for when he was in no-nonsense situations in his work or when he was seriously pissed.

Right now, it was the latter.

He could feel Sakura pull onto the hem of his suit coat by which he turned around and saw her appropriately dressed again although the blush seemed resolute on remaining on her cheeks. He couldn't help but smirk at this. The sight of her looking like this only made him think of how adorable she was.

"Seriously," Eriol interrupted yet again. "I can always come back another time."

Syaoran sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "There's no need. What are you here for?" he asked as he left the bar with Sakura closely following her. She was hoping to shield herself from view.

"Just came to kill some time," he said with a shrug before taking a seat on the couch and grabbing one of the random business magazines there.

When he said those words, Syaoran had the sudden urge to hit him. There was a part of him that was relieved at the interruption, the reasonable part of him. But right now, however, his urges were taking the forefront of his mind and that part of him simply wanted to give Eriol a resounding kick.

"To be interrupted by the most idiotic of all reasons," Syaoran muttered mutinously.

Eriol heard him but Sakura, who had been slowly inching her way towards the office doors during their short conversation, didn't hear his words at all.

Syaoran glanced up at him as she made a silent gesture about leaving. He simply smiled and nodded in reply.

"See you later Sakura!" Eriol called out loudly although not turning to look her way simply to spare her.

Sakura jumped a little at being caught.

"S-See you," she mumbled mostly to herself. She gave Syaoran an awkward smile and a small wave before exiting the room.

The moment the door closed behind her, Syaoran punched Eriol hard in the arm.


	7. Push and Pull

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

A quick update! And a rather long one... Longer than I would like. But I need to put all the needed (though minor) details in. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**"Push and Pull"**

* * *

The rest of Sakura's week was surprisingly uneventful.

She would be lying to herself if she hadn't expected something to change between her and Syaoran, a good change. But on the contrary, it was the exact opposite.

It was finally Thursday, her last day as secretary since tomorrow, Friday, is the first of July. Tomorrow she won't have any more reason to come up to this floor or anywhere near it.

Sakura stole a glance at the large double doors down the hall. It was almost time to clock out and Syaoran has been cooped up in there the entire day. She hadn't seen him at all in person since their little excursion in his office on Monday. When he asked her to do a job for him, he always did it by calling and asking Genevieve to send it into his office instead.

'He was the one who kissed me! So why is he the one avoiding me?' Sakura thought, confused and irritated now.

"Ms. Sakura!" Genevieve said cheerily. Sakura hadn't noticed the woman exit their boss' office.

"Ah, yes Genevieve?" After spending two more days with her, Sakura more or less understood just what kind of woman Genevieve was. She was overfriendly. Not just to males but to females as well. Sakura was unsure if this was the French blood in her or if she was naturally like this.

"I would like to thank you for showing me around and teaching me this and that the past few days," she gushed.

Sakura glanced at the nearby wall clock. 5 o'clock. It was time to leave. She looked at her already clean desk. She had already moved all of her personal things back to her old office in the 50th floor during lunch.

"It was a pleasure Genevieve," she replied genuinely, smiling at her.

Genevieve grinned at her and took her hands into hers. Her eyes were positively sparkling. "We must go out together sometime!"

* * *

"Sakura?" Tomoyo asked in surprise as a defeated looking Sakura walked pass her open office door. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you didn't I? Tomorrow I start working here again," she said, pointing to the office two doors down which had been left unoccupied since her transfer. Both their offices were situated either side of Hizumi's.

"Well, yes, but I mean aren't you going to see Li? I know he hasn't called you in at all this week but this is your last day after all."

Sakura sighed rather miserably. "It's complicated." She hadn't told Tomoyo of what happened in their last meeting.

* * *

_Friday – July 1…_

_Saturday – July 2…_

_Monday – July 4…_

_Wednesday – July 6…_

_Thursday – July 7…_

"That's it," Sakura practically shouted, slamming her fists on her desk.

She's only been back into her old job for five days and all she's accomplished since her return was… Well, nothing.

"Get out of my head," she hissed furiously as she messed up her hair with like a crazy person. She had done nothing but think about the damned CEO all this time that it wasn't even funny. Her work's being affected and that's something unforgiveable.

Sakura was so caught up with her own thoughts that she didn't even notice the knocking on her already open door until the person himself spoke up.

"I didn't know your job as assistant head of this department was that much harder than being my secretary."

She jumped out of her seat and looked up. The object of her frustrations was there, casually leaning against her open doorway with both arms and legs crossed.

'Holy crap.'

Not only was he there, he was dressed differently as well. He wasn't wearing his usual suit, but was wearing a pair of jeans, a printed t-shirt with a suit coat over it.

Crap. Crap. Crap. And here she was, although dressed finely in heels, a pencil skirt, and a ruffled blouse, the state of her hair right now wasn't something she wanted to be seen by _him_ of all people.

Sakura hurriedly ran her fingers through her long wavy hair with her eyes still focused on him. If she were to take her eyes off him for even a second, she was afraid he would disappear on her again. She didn't even realize she missed the man this much.

He still had an amused look on his face. His brows were raised as he observed her small office.

"How's work?" he asked as he stepped inside.

Sakura could see almost every member of their department gawking in their direction before Syaoran closed the door behind him.

"Its o-okay," she stuttered, glancing at the large stack of papers at the corner of her desk that have piled up over the past few days. It took all that she had to stop herself from laughing hysterically at the irony. "Uhmm… What are you doing here?"

He ignored her, instead, picked up one of the nearby picture frames on the corner shelf. "Is this your father?"

Sakura looked at the photo and nodded. It was a picture of her and her dad taken around March, the last time he came to Tokyo to have a meal with her. It was also the one and only time he had mentioned Syaoran's name to him. The corner of her mouth twitched at this memory.

"What's his name?"

"Fujitaka Kinomoto."

"The archeologist?" he asked in surprise.

Sakura was even more surprised that he was. Although her father made a name for himself over the years, not many people still knew of him due to his line of work. Archeology isn't really a big thing. Is it?

"How do you know?"

"I watch and read the news a lot. It's part of my job to know the individuals who've gone up or down in society I guess. Your father's field isn't entirely in line with mine but I've heard of him a few times years back when I just came to Tokyo because of that excavation he led in Egypt at the time. Your father is quite accomplished."

The huge grin immediately took over her face. She can't help it. It was nice to hear her dad being praised especially by one of the most distinguished people in today's society.

"But didn't he…" he trailed away and glanced at her. If he wasn't mistaken, and he was sure he wasn't, Fujitaka's passing was also printed in the news only recently around mid or late April. It was only a small mention in the newspaper but he was sure it was him.

Sakura didn't reply, simply took the frame from him and ran her fingers through her father's image before replacing it on the shelf. She let out along breath and turned to him.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked again with a raised brow and crossed arms. There was no hint of sadness in the way she looked and spoke.

This suited Syaoran just fine. After all, he didn't come down to see her looking sad.

He crossed his arms in turn and looked at her with feigned wonder. "Why do you think I'm here?"

Sakura stepped back and looked at him up and down once more. Really, the distance was needed at that point. She was always unaware of their proximity until the last moment and being too close to him never did her nerves any good.

Syaoran watched her appraise him for a few seconds while trying to hold back his own smile.

"Well judging from how you're dressed Mr. Li, I think you have way too much time on your hands and you've come here for the sole purpose of bugging me."

He chuckled at this. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Not exactly," she admitted truthfully before pointing at something behind him.

The second he did, he caught sight of the majority of the department looking at them through the open blinds of Sakura's office before they hurriedly turned away.

"Ah, so I'm disturbing your colleagues."

"Yes, _your_ employees. If your company takes a huge hit from poor performance due to lack of attentiveness from an entire department, you have no one to blame but yourself," she informed him in a no-nonsense tone.

Syaoran was laughing now.

"I think I can deal with the repercussions," he said but all the same went and twisted the blinds close.

"I don't think that's a good idea. You're going to leave everyone with the wrong impression," she pointed out with a sigh as she made her way towards him to twist it back open.

Before she could, he had already caught her by the waist and pulled her back. He hugged her close to him and bit her ear.

"I don't mind that," he whispered.

This made her face heat up.

"W-What are you doing?"

"I'm doing exactly what I want to do," he replied unhelpfully.

Sakura sighed and pushed him away. She turned to him with a serious and inquiring look. "You know what I mean," she said, rolling her eyes.

Syaoran didn't answer right away. He walked over behind Sakura's desk and sat on her chair to look at her from afar.

"Sakura, I don't easily trust women," he started. "I've dated a lot but the last serious relationship I got into was with a wealthy heiress three years ago who was attracted to me for the wrong reasons. Looks, status, _money_."

The way he emphasized the last word made Sakura's insides churn unpleasantly.

"It's been that way with every girl I've taken seriously. They don't always start that way but I suppose being with me got into their heads the wrong way overtime and of course I didn't like it. That's why I've always been cautious about getting serious with women ever since. Whenever I do start to get close to a woman, I become cautious and the second I get wind of them even attempting to use me, I end it."

She nodded mutely in understanding.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"Are you after me for my looks, my status, or my money?" he asked. Although the question sounded quite rude, Sakura didn't think he sounded conceited in the slightest. If anything, the look on his face and the manner he was asking her looked like he was genuinely concerned about this and just wanted a straight answer.

"No," she replied softly and truthfully.

She wasn't lying, although her main purpose of coming after him was money-related, it wasn't _his_ money but her father's.

It was only after a minute or so that Syaoran relaxed into her chair, a carefree and boyish grin now on his face. "Then let's have dinner tomorrow evening."

* * *

"So you're officially dating now!"

Once again, Tomoyo squealed. This had been going on and off the entire day. It was Saturday and it was only then that Sakura divulged to Tomoyo about all that took place the last two days, from Syaoran's sudden appearance in their department- a time when she was conveniently not present in the office floor when it happened -to their date the day after.

"We're not exactly dating yet Tomoyo."

This immediately stilled her. "What do you mean? You went on a date last night didn't you? How can you say you aren't dating?"

"Yes we went out for dinner but that's it. We didn't talk about our relationship or anything so I don't know what we are exactly."

"But you went on a _date_," Tomoyo repeated.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I'm very well aware that it was a date."

"So that means you're officially _dating_," she persisted.

"But I can't think of it as an official thing yet unless he says it. I mean, he never asked me or anything. It's all so unclear!"

"Did he kiss you good night when he dropped you off?"

"He had his driver drop me off," Sakura muttered. "He had to go meet some business partner or something for drinks afterwards."

Tomoyo's shoulders sagged. "How crude! He should have at least brought you home. I mean, it's his responsibility as your boyfriend!"

Sakura gave her a look. Has she heard nothing of what she had been saying all day? Syaoran never actually asked her to be his girlfriend. Not in a direct way, at least.

"Did you talk to him at all today?" Tomoyo asked, looking hopeful again. Her jubilant expression was instantly wiped off her face from Sakura's shake of the head. "What is that mean thinking?"

Sakura gave a long, resigned sigh. "Well, I should have expected this. Even if we went on a date, and even if I'm his girlfriend now- which I'm not even that sure about," she added with a look at Tomoyo, "he _is_ still CEO of Li Corp. I doubt he'd have much free time on his hands to spend with me."

A frown adorned Tomoyo's face now as she let out a sigh of her own. "You have to talk it out with him Sakura. Bring it up with him and ask him point blank."

"I know."

"You think you can still manage marrying him before your birthday?"

Sakura winced at her words and remained silent.

"Well," Tomoyo said in a louder voice as she stood up. "I'm sure it'll all turn out right in the end."

"I hope so… Anyway, enough of the sad talk. How are you and your boyfriend? I still haven't met the guy by the way."

Tomoyo can't help but grin as she maneuvered around her kitchen to refill their cups of tea.

"I know! He's been coming over to my apartment quite often enough the last three and a half months, I can't believe you still haven't run into him."

"It is unusual. Are you sure you're just not keeping him from me? I won't steal him away you know," Sakura joked which made Tomoyo laugh.

Just the thought of her stealing her boyfriend was ridiculous. Sakura wasn't that kind of girl. If anything, she never even showed an interest in men until Syaoran and she only got into him because of her predicament with her father's money.

"He's even come to the office around five times now. I kicked him out almost every time though. I swear that man knows no shame. He walks into Li Corp. like he owns the place! If Syaoran ever catches him intruding, I'm willing to bet he'd have Eri arrested."

"Eri?" Sakura echoed. She had never thought about it until now but she never even knew Tomoyo's boyfriend's name until today.

"Mhmm!"

"I just realized, Tomoyo. This is the first time you actually mentioned his name. Is that a nickname or-" Sakura stopped when the doorbell rang. "Maybe it's your _Eri_?" she said teasingly.

"He's at work though."

"On a Saturday?"

She shrugged. "He_ is_ a doctor. Working hours isn't limited to weekdays if you're treating patients I guess."

Sakura knew nothing about the hospital setting so she nodded and went over to the door just as the door bell rang again.

"Coming!"

* * *

He pressed on the door bell again.

"_Coming!"_

When the door swung open, he grinned down at the girl with the stunned expression on her face.

"Hi!"

"Sakura? Who is it?"

Sakura stared at him blankly for a few seconds before her brain started to work again. "An uninvited guest," she shouted over her shoulder.

Syaoran chuckled.

"What are you doing here?"

"I seem to get that question a lot from you," he said with a raised brow.

She coughed and looked away. "I… I mean, I'm surprised you're here, that's all," she muttered under her breath.

Syaoran heard her though and smiled.

"Sakura? Who- Oh," Tomoyo, who was holding her refilled cup in her hands, stared at the couple.

"Care to introduce?" he told Sakura mildly earning him a frown.

"If you know where she lives, you obviously already know her," she pointed out with a jab at his chest.

Syaoran chuckled and looked over at Tomoyo. "Syaoran Li, CEO of Li Corp. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Ms. Daidouji." he said simply with a nod.

She bowed. "Tomoyo Daidouji. I'm the other Assistant Head of Human Resources and I work with Sakura."

"Yes, I am well aware of that. I've personally read your file as well."

Tomoyo grinned at him then at Sakura who was looking up at the ceiling as if it were the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

"Soooo," she said, seeing as her best friend didn't plan on saying or doing anything. "You're here for Sakura, am I correct Mr. Li?"

He nodded and grabbed Sakura by the wrist before pulling him to his side. "You don't' mind if I whisk her away do you?"

"Not at all! Whisk away!" Tomoyo said in a laughing tone.

"What if I don't want to be whisked?" Sakura demanded, trying to pull away from his firm grip on her.

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "Oh Sakura, you know you want to go with him." She then looked up at Syaoran and said, "You know we were talking about you just now. You have to make things clear with Sakura. She keeps insisting that you two aren't a-"

"Okay!" Sakura announced loudly, deftly cutting off Tomoyo's little speech. "Why don't we go to my apartment then?"

Sakura pulled on Syaoran's sleeve and pushed him towards the opposite door a little ways down the corridor. She looked back at Tomoyo and widened her eyes at her in an incredulous manner before shutting her apartment door. She could still hear her laughter as she made her way towards her own apartment with Syaoran leisurely following her with his hands in his pockets.

Syaoran watched her as she pulled a key out of her pocket and stuffed it into the knob as if the thing had done her a personal wrong.

"Did your door knob commit a grave sin?"

She ignored his question and waved him in after her.

Syaoran chuckled at the distressed look on her face and entered.

"Make yourself at home," she said as she the first door to their left.

"Care to give me a little tour?"

Without waiting for an answer, he followed Sakura into the room she had just entered and stopped when his gaze landed on the walls. They were lined with shelves from floor to ceiling with shoes. All kinds of shoes.

There must have been around 200 pairs or so in total. From what he can see, most of them were of expensive brands as well.

"Shoe fetish?" he asked while Sakura placed the current pair of flats she was wearing onto an empty space.

"Sort of," she said with a small smile. "I splurge on shoes often."

"Don't tell me you spend all your earnings on shoes? I wouldn't have figured you to be that kind of girl."

"Not _all_ of my money. Just a portion of it."

From what he's looking at, Syaoran highly doubted it.

"We can start the 'tour' here then. Follow me kind sir," she said with a curtsy which made him chuckle yet again.

Sakura led him through another door across from the door they entered from the entrance way. They were in her closet now and Syaoran thought it was even more extensive than her shoe room. The room was even bigger and he could clearly see that Sakura spent a lot on clothes and accessories as well.

"Overindulging a bit, aren't we?"

Sakura blushed and didn't reply.

Syaoran went over towards a glass table which held several pieces of jewelry displayed underneath. He could see a few pieces he recognized from Cartier. The room held all sorts of things from belts to hats to bags. Fashion wasn't exactly his forte but the brand labels made some of her things distinguishable. His sisters had enough things from Louis Vuitton and Chanel to have the designs imprinted in his head forever.

"Over here next!" Sakura called out from yet another door across the room.

The rest of her apartment was, surprisingly again, quite simple. It was easy enough for him to conclude that Sakura only spent a good deal of her money on fashion. Her bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen weren't as extravagant as her closets. In fact, the rest of her place was designed and decorated so simply, if a burglar were to enter her place, there would be nothing of value to steal at first glance.

"Is there any reason why you spend so much on clothes and shoes but not on furnishing?" he asked when he sat on one of two simple couches that faced each other.

She sat across him. "A couch is for sitting. There's no point in spending so much for a couch like say, made of leather," she said with a brow raised at him, referring to ones in his office, "when simple velvet ones feel just as good."

"Then what's the point of buying a lot of really expensive shoes if all it does is provide you with the same thing?"

Sakura fell silent for a moment to think. It was only after a full minute that she gave her answer. "I like shoes."

Syaoran laughed.

"You don't think I'm a shallow person or something for having a keen interest in fashion, right?"

In truth, that's what Syaoran thought of women who put too much regard on outward appearances.

"No," he said after a moment's consideration. "I can still tell you're different."

Sakura gave him a confused look which only made him grin.

"Do you want anything to drink?"

"Do you actually have anything in your fridge?" he joked. She stuck her tongue at him as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Oh ha-ha. I may not spend much on things around the house but I do spend enough for food you know," she called out defensively. "Let's see… I have tea, lemonade, soda, and beer."

"Beer."

Sakura took two bottles, opened them and handed him one just as his cell phone began ringing.

Syaoran sighed as the name flashed on the screen. "Give me a sec."

'He really is a CEO I guess,' she told herself when she sat back down and started sipping her drink. Syaoran had gone to the far side of the room to take the call. 'And he even works on weekends,' she concluded from his attire. He was wearing his usual tailored suit, a dark gray this time, although he had taken off the jacket earlier when they entered her apartment.

She smiled as he watched his face take on different expressions one after another, almost all of which were serious. Right now, he had an irritated scowl on his face which was aimed at her beige colored curtains.

Now it was getting even harder to believe. Syaoran was in her apartment. He was actually here with her… And they were alone.

A blush crept up Sakura's face instantly as the realization finally hit her. Not only that, but he had been pleasantly talking to her as well, as if the fact that he was there was such a normal thing. She still found it too good to be true. Working for Syaoran, she already figured out how true the rumors were surrounding him. His attitude was positively lethal with almost everyone. Seeing him around the office and how he treated everyone proved to her how serious he usually was yet now, she can't even imagine them both going back to the days when they can't even carry a normal and casual conversation. She had already gotten so used to him smiling and laughing when they were together.

"Sakura?"

The sound of his voice instantly snapped her out of her reverie.

"Sorry," she murmured. "I was just… Uhm… Remember something."

"Was it good?" Syaoran asked as he took a sip of his own beer and sat back down.

"What was?" she asked blankly.

"Whatever it was you remembered."

The blush on her face intensified.

Syaoran raised a brow at this observation. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

"You're blushing."

"I am aware of that."

"What did you remember?"

Sakura sighed. Was he persistent or what?

"Just remembered how you were like with me before. It's just the way you talk and act around other people. You're always so serious. It's hard not to feel intimidated around you."

Syaoran nodded in understanding. "I kept up with that pretense when I got into the business at a young age and wanted to be taken seriously. It stuck to my professional personality, I suppose. It does suit my position considering almost all the people I deal with are twice my age."

Sakura gave a small snort and drank from her bottle to hide her smile.

"What?"

She shook her head.

"What?" he persisted yet again.

"I just find it all funny now."

"Funny? _Me_?" he asked with mock incredulity. It obviously wasn't what Sakura meant but she went along with him and nodded.

She started giggling now and only stopped when she suddenly found herself pinned onto the couch with Syaoran hovering over her. A boyish grin was on his face. She stopped giggling instantly.

"It's refreshing to be with you," he admitted truthfully. "All we've been doing together is talk, save for kissing two times. Each time I talk to you though, I find myself getting even more relaxed and comfortable. You're easy to open up to Sakura."

Syaoran took her bottle and settled it onto the table beside his and sat next to her.

"So what was Daidouji-san saying earlier before you rudely interrupted her?" he asked, pulling her across his lap to rest her head onto the crook of his neck.

He could feel the heat of her face as she hid her face under his chin.

"You blush easily," he observed. Sakura slapped his chest lightly in reply. "So what did she say?"

"You're really persistent. Did you know that?"

"I may have been told that once or twice."

Sakura snorted in a very unladylike manner.

"Okay I get told that often. Now what did she say? She said something about making things clear with you."

"About us."

"What about us?"

"If… If we're actually dating officially," she mumbled.

Syaoran pulled her back.

Sakura was surprised to see a glare on his handsome face. She never had that directed at her for a while now. It was quite normal to see him glaring at people or no one in particular at work, but never was it directed at her. She had been the recipient of such a look during a few random moments at work but it was only when he was in a foul mood because of something or someone else.

She decided she never wanted to be the reason and object of such a look.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean by what you said? You don't think we're dating officially?"

"Well, you never exactly made it clear to me."

"We went on a date last night."

"Yes but I thought it was just for dinner. Just dinner."

Syaoran sighed. "What else was I supposed to do? Did all your ex-boyfriends have to do something to make it official or something?"

"I never even had a boyfriend before," she muttered in a very small voice. But Syaoran caught her words.

He pulled her face to look at him straight in the eye. "Are you serious?"

"Serious about what?" Her face was turning red again.

"About you not having a boyfriend before," he said, trying to keep the impatience and incredulity out of his voice. How was that possible? Sakura, a woman of her caliber, never had even one intimate relationship with a guy?

"Yes." Sakura pulled away from him and slid back to a proper seat beside him.

"My childhood was… Unique," she explained. "And I never found the need or desire to be intimate with anyone. Mind you, it worried the hell out of my father up until he…" Sakura trailed away.

The constant conversations she had with her father including the last one she had with him was about her relationships which led her to this predicament with Syaoran in the first place.

Syaoran ran his hand through his hair. He was still surprised. Sakura was already 26 years old. He can't even begin to recount all the things he's done from his boyhood until that age and she on the other hand had done nothing. He sat up immediately and pulled her by the chin to look at him again.

"W-What?" she asked, immediately getting uncomfortable by the look he was giving her.

"So I was your first kiss?" he asked. The look on his face was very serious although the feeling he was getting inside was anything but.

"Well… No," she admitted, still with a faint blush. "I've kissed before, though most of it happened without my permission. I haven't had a boyfriend but I've tried dating a few times. None of it ever ended well though. I only went along with them to ease my dad's worrying. And most of the guys were all a pain in my ass. I'm not trying to sound like a brag or anything but I figured almost all of them were only after me for my looks. I never dated anyone more than once."

Syaoran grinned hearing this. She had never dated anyone twice. Her view on men was nearly as bad as his view on women.

He still found her boldness to pursue him before as odd considering all the facts now, but there's no way she'd have undesirable motives for wanting to date him if her own opinion on dating men were so severe, right?

"So why did you come after me?"

"I… What?"

"Sakura it was quite obvious you were into me. Even Eriol pointed it out during the masquerade party. You even kissed me first. So what's so different about me from the men you've dated?"

Sakura bit her lip. She couldn't very well tell him the reason she even dared to go near him was her father's money. "You're handsome." Syaoran's face remained inquiring, obviously not content with that answer alone. "And although I learned of it much later, you're actually a really nice person, which surprised me. You're also down to earth and quite passionate especially towards your job. Your accomplishments not only impressed me but it made me admire you even more."

All the words she had told him were true. Although it didn't necessarily answer his question as to _why_ she went after him in the first place, she hoped her other admissions would take his mind away from his original inquiry.

"I think I'll need you to praise me a lot more often." A smile was playing in the corner of his lips now. "I get compliments often but coming from you, I like hearing it better."

She couldn't help but giggle.

"You're my girlfriend now Sakura," Syaoran suddenly stated in a more serious tone.

His face held a sincere smile but the look on his eyes was so intense that even if he hadn't exactly asked for her consent on the matter, it was hard to argue with him.

Sakura nodded. "And you're my boyfriend."

"That I am," he said before lowering his lips onto hers.

The first kiss they shared was clumsy. There was no other way to describe it. Sakura's inexperience at initiating kisses and Syaoran's surprise at that time made it so.

Their second kiss was nothing short of fiery and hot. Passion had consumed both of them then.

This kiss, their third kiss, sealed their relationship and it was simple and chaste.

Syaoran held onto Sakura's face as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed and felt the softness of each other's lips. It only lasted for a few short seconds before they pulled apart, now both smiling at each other.

"I have one more question," Syaoran asked as he pulled Sakura back to sit across his lap.

"What is it?"

"You said you never had boyfriends before." She nodded against his shoulder. "So that means you're still a…?"

It didn't take Sakura long to realize what he meant by his statement.

Her head snapped up to look at him. His eyes were wide in apparent wonder but the wide grin he had on his face ruined his seemingly innocent curiosity. He was teasing her.

Sakura's face had never been as red as it was at that moment.

"So you really are still a-"

She clamped a hand over his mouth and deftly shut him up from saying the word.

His eyes were twinkling in obvious amusement and delight now.

'How embarrassing,' she thought in horror at what could possibly be going on inside the man's head. Now of all times she wished he'd go back to the usual frown he wore at work.

Syaoran was trying to pry her hand away from his mouth which she only reinforced with her other hand.

"Don't you dare say the word," she said warningly. Sakura wasn't exactly embarrassed but she definitely didn't want to hear him say anything about the matter.

She could feel his mouth form a grin from beneath her hands before she felt his tongue lick her palms. Sakura yelped and pulled away in surprise.

"Didn't think I'd do that now did you?" he said with a childish gloat to his tone. "As I was saying, you mean to tell me that you're really still a full-fledged v-"

Syaoran was cut off again as Sakura pulled him by his shirt collar and planted a forceful kiss on him. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he gave in and let her have her way by pulling her closer to him and returning the kiss.

It didn't take long for the hard kiss to slowly turn more erratic and fervent. Their tongues were waging a war on their own now with Sakura's hand running through Syaoran's thick, messy hair.

When she felt Syaoran's warm hands touch the bare skin on her back, however, she pulled away and looked at him straight in the eye.

"Tease me about it again and I'll definitely stay a virgin _forever_."

Sakura had meant to say that seriously but seeing the still darkened haze in his eyes made her smile instead. At least she knew she wasn't the only one so affected by their kissing.

She gave him a small peck on the cheek and slid off his lap.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Thank you to everyone who left a review! Rest assured I read them all from the short ones to the long ones. I really do appreciate it and I enjoyed reading each and everyone of them.

See you in the next chapter!

**Raeny**


	8. Friendship

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

Thankkkk yoooouuuuuu very much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I enjoyed reading them. You guys motivate me a lot. :D

Now, let's fast forward a few more months!

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**"Friendship"**

* * *

_August…_

_September…_

_October…_

"You were the belle of the ball," Syaoran whispered into her ear.

They had just come back from a Halloween Gala hosted by one of Li Corp.'s business partners and Sakura was a huge hit.

Sakura giggled. His breath was tickling her. She turned to him, intending to give him a kiss but stopped immediately when the elevator halted and dinged.

When the doors slid open, they were greeted by a large man in a suit.

"Good evening Mr. Li, Ms. Kinomoto," he greeted with a bow.

Sakura blushed and bowed back while Syaoran simply nodded him. While Syaoran slid his key card through the slot in front of his penthouse door, Sakura waved the man goodbye when he entered the elevator they just got off from.

"Doesn't it get uncomfortable?" Sakura murmured. She could never relax whenever she spots any of Syaoran's random bodyguards which, she realized now that they're an official couple, were actually everywhere. Now she wondered if they were also standing by closely during the time they bought coffee and during the masquerade party months ago.

Syaoran merely chuckled and stepped aside to let her in first.

This was another thing Sakura doubted she'd get used to. His apartment. Was "apartment" the right word for it? The place was like an out of place mansion sitting atop one of the buildings in the middle of Tokyo. How much space could one guy need?

"Did you have fun tonight?" he asked in a whisper as he started kissing her nape while his hands ran down her curves which were made even more apparent from the tight-fitting gown she was currently wearing.

"Mmmm…"

This was one of the things that made Sakura fall for Syaoran even more than she already had after the past few months. Passion.

It's been twenty six years. Twenty six years of not experiencing the wonders and sensations of sex. She can't believe she'd been a virgin for this long. If she knew it felt this good, she wouldn't have held back before.

Then again, she thought most of the wonderful feelings she felt from the having sex must have been all due to Syaoran.

Sakura turned around and kissed him deeply, thrusting her tongue into his mouth just as his hands squeezed her butt. She moaned. "Let's go to bed," she whispered quickly before planting her lips back onto him again.

Syaoran didn't need telling twice. He picked her up bridal style and headed towards his bedroom without breaking their kiss.

Yes, all the sensations Sakura felt right now was definitely because of Syaoran. It had taken him almost two months of coaxing her to make love with him until she finally gave into his attempts.

Sakura giggled in delight remembering the various methods he had tried to gain her assent just as he swiftly slipped off her gown and laid her down onto his bed.

Syaoran looked at her, a questioning brow raised.

She shook her head and pulled him down while her fingers pushed down his black suit jacket before starting to unbutton his shirt.

When his chest was finally bare, Sakura pushed him away far enough to steal a glimpse at his finely chiseled chest. She couldn't help but blush at the intense feelings that started stirring deep within her at the sight of him.

This was her undoing then, and it was still her undoing now. The sight of him simply half naked threw all logic out the window. She wanted him. And the look in his eyes only showed how much he wanted her as well.

Sakura threw her weight onto him and rolled them over. When she settled herself comfortably on top of him, she shifted her bottom slightly onto a certain hard and sensitive area which elicited a groan from Syaoran.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear before nibbling onto his earlobe.

Syaoran didn't reply, instead pulled her back for another searing and thoroughly arousing kiss.

* * *

_Sakuraaaa! You're with Syaoran again aren't you? Honestly, tell that guy to leave some time for us too!_

_Eri and I just got back from our trip a few hours ago._

_Hawaii was great! I still can't get over the fact that I spent the entire week there. It still feels surreal. I'm sure reality will sink in when I get back to work though. :P_

_Text me ASAP okay? I have souvenirs!_

– _Tomoyo Daidouji –_

Sakura smiled while she read the message through one open eye. The brightness of her cell phone screen was almost blinding.

Tomoyo had left for Maui a week ago with her boyfriend to celebrate their one year anniversary of being together.

They've dated for one whole year and Sakura still hasn't met the elusive "Eri" it almost felt ridiculous. Not that she could blame anyone for it. Most of her free time was spent with Syaoran and Tomoyo seemed just as busy with her own boyfriend as well. Whenever she did invite her over to meet him, Sakura was usually busy with plans made with Syaoran. They both kept trying and failing to meet for various reasons that it all seemed funny now.

Sakura giggled and shook her head.

The figure laying beside her stirred.

"You okay?" Syaoran mumbled sleepily, squinting at her. The only source of light they had was the slowly lightening sky of Tokyo through the wall of his bedroom that was entirely made of glass just like his office.

"I'm fine. It's still early, go back to sleep," she whispered and gave him a peck on the lips which he returned with a full on kiss before rolling back onto his stomach.

She giggled once more before stealthily leaving the bed and exiting the bedroom.

* * *

Tomoyo sipped the hot cocoa from her mug and made a contented noise just as two knocks echoed from her apartment door.

She checked the nearby clock. It was only 5:48 AM but she figured she knew what is was and sure enough, what greeted her when she opened her door was the day's newspaper on the ground.

"At least there's something to do," she told herself as she settled herself on the living room couch.

It was only after a few minutes of absently reading and absently scanning through articles that she finally reached the page that literally made her eyes bug out. At that exact same moment, her cell phone rang.

She checked the name of the caller and grinned widely. Perfect timing.

"Sakura!" she squealed excitedly. "Now the whole world knows!"

"_Wha-? Huh?"_

Tomoyo laughed at the girl's obvious shock and confusion.

"I just got today's paper and there's a huge picture of you and Syaoran from that Halloween ball you went to last night! They even printed a small picture of you and Syaoran form that masquerade party ages ago beside it!"

"_What are you talking about?"_

"The _Tokyo Keizai Shimbun_! It's a newspaper that focuses on mostly business things. I only recently subscribed to have it sent to my place since Eri likes reading it in the mornings in case he stays over. Anyway, there's a huge spread from the ball, about four pages of it and one entire page is of just Syaoran and you!"

"_Are you serious?"_

"Yes! I'll save this and frame it!" Tomoyo declared, laughing. "I know you two have been an official couple for over almost four months now but this… This just made it official to the world!"

"_You're exaggerating Tomoyo."_

She frowned at hearing this but then heard Sakura giggle as well. "I'm happy for you Sakura. Everything's working out for you."

* * *

Sakura smiled, contented.

Everything Tomoyo said was true. Even Syaoran had made it clear to her early on. The reason why he had her replaced immediately was because he didn't want to have any sort of intimate relationship with anyone from his own office. It would cause a hit to both their reputations, especially his. It also took him this long to officially take Sakura out to public events so as to have her fully reestablished and known as part of HR and have near to no association as to being his secretary in case the paparazzi asks questions.

He had thought out everything from the very beginning. Syaoran had always been so careful for both their sakes.

All the things he's done during the few short months they were together was making her fall in love with him even more. She can't even recall when her feelings got that deep. It was really hard not to fall in love with Syaoran and it seemed to only grow each and every day.

"Yes, everything is working out. I've been really happy lately," she admitted happily before the smile on her face faltered. "I'm just worried about what'll happen later on though."

"_What do you mean?"_

"You know what I mean, about the whole marriage thing. I don't think I can do it Tomoyo. It's already the 1st of November. Thinking about it realistically, there's no way I could get married within five months. I doubt I'd even get a proposal by then."

There was a pause in the other end and Sakura knew that deep down, Tomoyo felt the same as well. She had been dating her boyfriend for a year and even they hadn't discussed anything about getting engaged or getting married.

"_Y-You never know. It can still happen."_

Sakura sighed once more. This was all getting complicated. She was blissfully happy with Syaoran and she didn't want to ruin it at all but she can't just let go of her father's money. She can't. She shouldn't. She won't.

"Maybe I should call our family's lawyer and the bank manager. They're my dad's friends. Maybe if I explain the actual situation to them they'd reconsider."

"_And if they don't?"_

"I'll grovel at their feet," she replied simply making Tomoyo giggle in spite of the situation.

"_There has to be another way around that contract."_

"I doubt it…"

"_How about you trying hinting to him that you want to get married?"_

"I doubt he's take me seriously."

"_Tell him you want to get married to him someday then!"_

"That doesn't really help much unless I tell him I want to get married in five months though."

"_Then what about you propose to him instead?"_

Sakura laughed earnestly now. "You're kidding right? And besides, that plan just reeks of suspicious motives!"

"_I suppose, but if you want to get married to him in five months, you have to do something."_

"_Who wants to get married to whom in five months?"_

Sakura's eyes widened and there was a sound of scuffling before Tomoyo's voice came back again.

"_Sorry about that."_

The tone of her voice was different now. Guarded.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Sakura asked, horrified.

Even if Tomoyo's boyfriend had nothing to do with their discussion, just the thought of a person knowing her current predicament was enough to drain the blood from her face. It wasn't exactly something she wanted to be known outside of them both. Syaoran is, after all, a well-known guy all throughout Japan. Even if Tomoyo's boyfriend had nothing to do with the business and finance world, he could still very well know of him.

"_Yes."_

"What did he hear?"

"_I'm not sure… Not much I hope."_

Sakura could feel herself break out in a sweat now.

"Does he know you're talking to me?"

"_Maybe but I'm not sure."_

"Have you mentioned to him at all that I'm dating Syaoran?"

"_No, I never got around to it. So it should be okay."_

"I hope he doesn't make the connection later on if Syaoran and I do get to meet him one of these days."

"_I hope so too."_

Her replies were short which could only mean that he was still there.

"Why is he up at this hour? Come to think of it, why are you as well? I only called hoping you'd just woken up but you seem wide awake even before I rang."

"_We can't help it. Jet lag you know?"_

Sakura sighed and nodded to herself.

"I… I'll talk to you later, okay? If he asks anything about our conversation, try to steer it away. Or imply that it's about some other girl."

* * *

Syaoran yawned and reached over to his right only to find the spot empty.

"Sakura?" he mumbled.

Nothing.

He opened his eyes to see no one else inside his bedroom besides himself.

"Sakura!" he called out loudly into the open space of his vast penthouse as he exited down the wide corridor while stretching his arms.

"I'm in the shower!"

Syaoran's eyes flitted back to one of the doors he passed before he resumed making his way towards his kitchen. He was in the middle of preparing his morning coffee, when a vibrating noise erupted from behind him.

It was Sakura's cell phone. She had left it on the counter next to a glass of half-empty orange juice.

"Kentaro Hashimoto," Syaoran read from the screen when it lit up from the newly received message.

He didn't know a Kentaro Hashimoto. Well, he didn't know anyone from his company with that name anyway. But then he couldn't be sure. There were thousands of employees in Li Corp. after all.

'I think there was a Hashimoto in accounting… Or was it legal?' he thought unsurely.

There was a loud click then and the sound of bare footsteps tapping along the corridor.

"I think I better go back to my own place today. I've been sleeping here for the entire week and I don't really enjoy wearing the same set of outfits all over again too soon. You- What's wrong?"

Sakura stopped drying her hair with the fluffy white towel and looked at his face which was staring vacantly at her.

Just then the coffee machine started beeping which effectively snapped him out of his reverie.

"Nothing, just thinking about stuff."

* * *

Eriol took a large bite out of his toast and continued staring at Tomoyo.

"What is it?" she asked and took a small bite from her own.

"You're still not telling me?"

It's been this way for the past hour. He had been persistently asking Tomoyo over and over again about the nature of her phone call with Sakura.

It happened just a month ago. Eriol went to Syaoran's office to discuss his plans on going to Hawaii for his anniversary with Tomoyo. Syaoran had given his opinion about how he thought the idea was good and that he too liked Tomoyo and approved of her as his girlfriend. This greatly surprised Eriol since he had never gotten the chance to even introduce them yet. It was also then that Syaoran explained to him the nature of Tomoyo and Sakura's relationship which he actually already knew from the start. He could hardly believe it.

Ever since he dated Tomoyo, she never failed to mention her best friend "Sakura" but he never made the connection even when he met the girl for himself. The name wasn't, after all, uncommon amongst the Japanese. He also didn't know why he never even met Sakura. Tomoyo's been trying often enough to get him to meet her after all.

When light was finally shed over the circumstances, however, he decided to purposely avoid Sakura- not that it was hard to do so anyway. He always had a playful nature so the opportunity was perfect. He wanted to surprise both Tomoyo and Sakura with the coincidence one of these days.

Even Syaoran agreed to the childish notion. Eriol could only assume the man was approving of the idea because of Sakura. Syaoran certainly had gotten soft since he and Sakura got together and he's been getting a better overall disposition ever since.

It was obvious to him that his best friend was happy.

Which was why Eriol can't help but be bothered by what he had just overheard.

"It was nothing important Eriol, really," Tomoyo insisted with a casual wave.

"Then you can tell me. Consider it idle chit-chat."

Tomoyo sighed. "It's really nothing. Just a _private_ conversation amongst friends."

With that said, she stood up, kissed him lightly on the cheek and went back into the bedroom.

Eriol frowned after her. He hadn't heard Tomoyo's conversation except for the end part but he knew she had to be talking to Sakura. He had dated Tomoyo long enough to know her habits and manner of doing things. That included the fact that she only ever talked to Sakura on the phone at the oddest of times and in that manner of speaking as well.

It had to be Sakura on the other end. And if it really was her, then they must have been discussing about Syaoran.

If all that is true, then it certainly raised a lot of questions which he wanted answered. Not only is it odd for a girl to think about engagements and marriage this early in the relationship, but the specific time frame of five months bugged him.

It made him feel like there was a set deadline or something. And to him, the nature of that conversation simply felt wrong.

* * *

"So what're you doing today?" Syaoran asked, nuzzling her neck from the back.

Sakura can't help but shiver as she continued to wear a few of her accessories which had gathered overtime in Syaoran's apartment.

"I'm meeting Tomoyo for lunch. She has a couple of souvenirs for us."

"I bet," he murmured, thinking about what odd thing Eriol was planning to give him again. He had the habit of buying the oddest things for him whenever he travelled.

Sakura turned around and rested her forearms on his shoulders. She started playing with his hair. "What are_ you_ doing today?"

"Dropping you off wherever you're going before heading to the office."

"You're working today?"

"You know I go in even on weekends."

"Yes, but… Do you have to? Weekends should be a time for relaxing."

Syaoran smiled and kissed her forehead. "And here I thought you were used to it already."

* * *

"Ah, she's here," Tomoyo said into her cell while waving at Sakura who had just gone down from a sleek black Rolls Royce Ghost a little ways down the sidewalk. People were openly gawking at her and the car, all the more when Syaoran slid out after her. "I'll call you later Eri."

"_Okay, you owe me!"_

She rolled her eyes. Ever since he overheard part of her phone conversation, he never stopped insisting that she tell him all about it.

* * *

"Go back in, I'm fine here. Tomoyo's right there," Sakura whispered as she tried to push him back inside the car. "People are staring."

"Let them stare. After last night's events, it should be all over the news anyway. It doesn't matter who sees us together in public now."

She blushed when he leaned and gave her a quick and searing kiss.

"Yes b-but still…" she continued, trying to steady herself against him when Syaoran pulled away, "It doesn't mean we have to go around and show off to everyone every chance we get." Her mumbling voice held no conviction. She still felt dazed from being kissed so thoroughly in public.

He chuckled.

This was yet another reason why he adored Sakura. This side of her clearly set her apart from the other women he dated. Almost every female he was with whether girlfriend or even just acquaintances he went on dates with, never bothered to conceal their desire to be seen with him. They were all about publicity.

Although Syaoran already knew how much Sakura cared about appearances- she admitted it herself a few months ago when he brought up her extensive collection of clothes, bags, and shoes –she never expressed or shown the desire to be the object of interest by other people. He thought it was a contradiction in her personality but he didn't complain. It only proved he wasn't after him for his name.

"Call me later," he murmured closely to her ear, ignoring what she had just said.

Sakura nodded and let him kiss her again, this time on the forehead.

"See you later," she said which he replied with a grin before getting back inside the car.

She watched as he gave his driver instructions before closing the door.

"Sakura!"

Tomoyo waved her over. She hadn't left her seat which was in the corner amongst the tables situated outside the restaurant.

Sakura watched the car drive away before making her way to her best friend. She gave an awkward smile at the few random passersby who were still staring avidly at her as she walked.

"Sorry I'm a bit late. I spent most of the last hour trying to convince Syaoran that I'll just take a taxi coming here. He kept insisting he'd drive me which of course I said no to," she said, still sounding a bit flustered. "In the end, we agreed on the driver."

Tomoyo giggled. "You still turned a few heads though."

"It's better than being driven here by Syaoran himself in the Gallardo," she pointed out. Just thinking about the white Lamborghini sports car made her shudder. That was the car Syaoran usually drives when he didn't want to make use of his driver. That car would have garnered even more attention.

"Boys," Tomoyo shook her head and pushed a large paper bag on the floor over to her. "Souvenirs for you and Syaoran."

"Thank you!" she grinned.

"You can check that later. I need to talk to you about earlier."

Sakura immediately sobered. Besides genuinely missing her best friend and wanting to talk and catch up with her, this was one of the reasons why she texted Tomoyo right after their phone call earlier and asked if they could meet. She just couldn't help but worry about the chances of her motives for being with Syaoran to be discovered by someone else other than Tomoyo.

"Yes, did you and your boyfriend talk about it after we hung up?"

She nodded. "He's been pestering me about it all morning. I don't know why he's so curious but I think it only proves he doesn't know anything. I also want to apologize for that mishap."

Sakura shook her head and sighed in relief slightly. It was normal- she supposed –for boyfriends to become curious but the fact that he doesn't know anything relieved her.

"It's fine Tomoyo. But seriously, I have to meet this guy one of these days you know."

Tomoyo grinned at her. "It's getting quite unusual isn't it? I still don't understand how your schedules clash every single time."

* * *

"Tai," Syaoran said into the phone speakers, addressing his oldest secretary.

"_Yes, Mr. Li?"_

"I need you to check something for me from the employee register. Make a list of all the employees along with their department and positions with the surname Hashimo- Tai?"

Syaoran frowned as he listened to the weird scratchy sounds on the other end as well as the sound of his secretary sounding flustered over something.

"_I… I'm sorry Mr. Li but Mr.-"_

"_Yo Syaoran!"_

He blinked hearing the new voice then sighed.

"Stop disturbing my secretaries from doing their duties."

"_I was only greeting them."_

"You're obviously here for me so just get in here."

Another shifting sounded on the other end before his secretary came back to him.

"_Uhmm… I'm sorry Mr. Li, but what was it that you said?"_

She sounded apologetic and guilty.

Syaoran shook his head just as Eriol started his odd manner of knocking on his office door again.

"You know I'm in here so just open the damned door!" he shouted before returning to the phone. "Never mind Tai, we'll leave it for later."

Just as he pressed the speaker button on his phone again, the doors swung open and Eriol strode in, grinning.

"What do you want?" he asked, annoyed.

"That's a bit rude isn't it? I came here especially to give you your souvenir from Maui," he said and placed a paper bag onto Syaoran's desk. "I even got your secretaries a little something. By the way, you need to give Nishihara-san a good lecture. She's too friendly, must be the French in her but other people will mistake it for flirting."

Syaoran ignored his latter comment and took the paper bag. When his eyes landed on the item inside, he rolled his eyes. Eriol didn't disappoint his expectations. His weird taste in giving him souvenirs- whether on purpose or not, he still didn't know -was obviously still intact.

He pulled out the rather large and heavy object and put it on his desk. It was a Tiki totem pole paper weight. It was very colorful and the designs were very intricate and detailed. It was also very ugly.

"Nice, isn't it?" Eriol asked, smiling widely. "I even got one for myself. It's in my office."

Syaoran raised a brow at him. He could actually see how earnest he was. Eriol had that same look on his face when he gave him the koala-shaped backscratcher after his business trip to Sydney last year.

"Thanks."

"No problem. You came to mind the moment I saw it so I knew you'd like it!"

Syaoran tried very hard not to retort and simply nodded instead.

Eriol was one of the few people he always gave so much consideration for. He was like a brother to him after all their years of friendship. Although they tormented each other occasionally, it was only ever about mundane things. He never wanted to actually hurt his feelings and that is exactly why the poor man still thought he actually enjoyed his weird souvenirs. Syaoran never got around to telling him he had horrid tastes in choosing gifts.

"I'm guessing you have some other reason for being here? Otherwise you could've waited to give me this."

Eriol lost a little of his smile as he sat down on his usual spot on the leather couch. He didn't answer.

Syaoran immediately knew something was up.

"Are you and Tomoyo doing okay?"

"Yeah," he replied without much thought. "How about you and Sakura?"

He couldn't help it, he smiled. "We're doing great. I'm getting so used to having her with me. It feels like the most natural thing in the world."

Eriol looked at his friend's almost blissful expression. "Great enough for marriage?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So, I'll be posting another story soon but for **Skip Beat!** this time. I'm a HUGE fan and I've been obsessing over the manga for ages, so I finally gave in and wrote.

If you like Skip Beat! or read fanfics. from there, then keep an eye out for my upload. If you haven't heard of Skip Beat! then I implore you to CHECK. IT. OUT. The anime is great but the manga is beyond intelligible words (it's _that_ awesome). You won't regret it!

No worries about this story though. The new story won't interfere with this one. I'm still in the middle of writing and figuring out **Mending Mistakes** but I've already finished the Skip Beat! fanfic. except for the ending chapter so I won't spend any more time on it.

That's it for now. Ja ne!

**Raeny**


	9. Deceit

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

Thank you my dearest readers for the kind words you left for me to read in your reviews. You have my love! I really enjoyed reading them. :)

To the _Skip Beat_! fans who have read my new story **Remember**, thank you for checking it out as well! Truly appreciate it.

Now, onward!

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**"Deceit"**

* * *

"Great enough for marriage?"

Eriol tried not to grimace at the forced teasing tone his voice had taken when he asked the question.

"Marriage?" Syaoran asked, bewildered. "If anyone's ready for marriage, it's you. You've dated Tomoyo for a year now and from everything you've told me, you two are practically acting like an old married couple."

Eriol ignored his statement. He cleared his throat and tried to keep his voice light as he pushed on. "Have you ever discussed marriage with Sakura?"

Syaoran raised a brow at his grinning face which looked somewhat different than usual. What was he playing at?

"We've only dated for three months… Four months in a week."

He shrugged. "Some people even get married in lesser time than that if they feel it's right," he said although he had no idea if that was true. Syaoran still hadn't answered his question. "So you never discussed it then?"

If Syaoran says no then he can just let himself think that he probably misunderstood the conversation he had overheard. Of course it still wouldn't let go of his nagging feelings but it might relax his worries a bit.

Eriol looked over at him inquiringly but Syaoran didn't pay attention. He looked like he was in deep thought over something.

"Syaoran?"

It was only after a few more seconds of thinking that he finally got around to answer him.

"What?"

"Were you even paying attention to me?" Eriol asked with his own brow now raised at him.

"Yes I was paying attention and no we haven't discussed marriage."

Eriol visibly sighed at this. He was right, it did relieve him slightly.

"But you know," Syaoran continued with a curious and almost ironic look on his face. "What you said is true."

"What is?" he asked. His brows were furrowed now.

"What you said about people getting married in lesser time if it feels right."

Eriol gaped. "What are you saying?"

Syaoran merely shrugged. "I'm not saying anything."

"You're not actually thinking of getting married right now are you?!" he asked incredulously. He was in love with Tomoyo to the point that he can't imagine living the rest of his life with another girl but even he never planned or even imagined on thinking of marriage. Not _yet_, anyway. And here Syaoran was, casually mentioning it when only a few months ago, the man possessed the greatest issues of suspicion for women which spanned years.

"Who said I'm getting married now?" Syaoran asked exasperatedly. "Besides, being married and being engaged are totally different things."

"So you're planning on getting yourself _engaged_ then?"

Syaoran looked at Eriol curiously. He would've thought the mention of engagement and marriage would make him literally jump for joy. Eriol did, after all, know that he had been a cynic with everything regarding women. This piece of information of him being even remotely interested in getting engaged sooner or later should have moved him to tears of joy if anything else.

"It's an idea," he admitted truthfully. "If I were to be honest, I don't think I'd have enough patience for any other kind of woman after getting this close with Sakura. She's refreshing. We've only been together a short while but the kinds of conversations I have with her, I haven't even had with my other ex-girlfriends during the entire span of my relationships with them."

"So that's your basis for wanting to be engaged?" Eriol said with a scoff. "Have you even told her that you love her?"

"I've shown her my love for her," he supplied with another nonchalant shrug.

"But have you even _said_ the actual words?"

Syaoran knew that Eriol knew that he never said the words to Sakura. Heck, he's never uttered those words to anyone in the longest time. His past experiences made it impossible for him to simply throw those words at a girl too easily. But Sakura never complained, which he is grateful for. He knew Sakura understood his general mistrust towards women which he figured was the reason why she never minded his silence whenever she said she loved him.

But he did very much like being told that she loves him. And at least he actually did show her his feelings through his actions in exchange for not saying it.

"I _thoroughly_ show her every night we spend together," he said with emphasis.

Eriol flashed him a genuine grin now. Syaoran never talked about his sex life with Sakura or with any other girl for that matter. He always held a degree of privacy on those matters which Eriol could never accomplish.

"So you finally tapped th-"

"I'm not discussing this with you," Syaoran cut in with a hard look aimed at him. The only thing Eriol knew of their sex life was that he was Sakura's first sexual partner and really, he had only told him this out of pride. He was merely boasting at the time, to say the least. And that was the only detail he was willing to give his friend.

"I can always ask Tomoyo."

"As if she'd tell you," he said with a snort and a shake of his head. Ever since he dated Sakura, she opened up about Tomoyo as well and he already knew of each of the girls' loyalty to the other.

* * *

Sakura tapped her finger on the coffee table as the phone continued to ring. She gave a nervous glace at the copy of her father's will in front of her which she had Mr. Hashimoto fax to her place yesterday when she was still at Syaoran's apartment. When she arrived home the papers were already laying in wait in her fax machine.

"_Hello, Kentaro speaking."_

"Hashimoto-san? It's me, Sakura."

"_Ahh, yes, Sakura-san. How are you? Did you get the fax?"_

"Yes, I did. Thank you for that again."

"_No problem. So what can I do for you? I'm guessing this is still about your father's will?"_

"Uhmm… Yes. I was wondering if you can help me. I'm having a bit of a problem. Now I know we have discussed this months ago but is there any way at all for the will to be nullified?"

There was a pause on the other line and then a sigh.

"_I'm afraid not. Ever since we last discussed this, I've been trying to look for some way to aid you in this matter but there's really no way around your father's will in a legal point of view."_

"I see," Sakura muttered resentfully and ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

"_However…"_

She perked up immediately.

"_Now I won't make promises or anything so don't get your hopes up."_

"Not at all, what is it?"

"_You can always talk to Nao-san and try to convince him to drop your father's instructions in his will somehow."_

"Nao-san?"

"_Nao Morita. He's the manager of the bank your father mentioned in the will. He's also a good friend of mine. I've met him through Fujitaka years ago but your father had always been close to him even years before then and it was also to him and only him that he left his instructions to at the bank."_

A spark of hope lit up within Sakura. "So if I convince him to drop the will, he'll let me have the money even if I'm unmarried?"

_"_If_ you can convince him, then probably. Legally, it shouldn't be allowed but seeing as Nao-san and I are close friends with Fujitaka and you're his daughter and it's only the three of us involved, maybe we can all decide and settle on something. You have to talk to him for sure."_

"I'll be sure to have a talk with him then!" Sakura announced, trying to keep her tone calm. "Thank you very much Hashimoto-san."

* * *

"You're actually going to go and grovel at their feet?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as she adjusted her skirt while looking at her reflection. "When I said two weeks ago that I was going to grovel, I didn't mean it literally, Tomoyo."

"I would hope not. You don't exactly look like the type to grovel, especially not in that outfit," she pointed out.

Tomoyo continued to watch from the small sofa in the closet as Sakura proceeded to clip a small ornamental flower over her right ear that matched her outfit.

"How do I look?"

"Too innocent," she immediately replied with a smile. "I like it!"

"That's what I'm aiming for," Sakura said with a grin as she twirled around on the spot.

She was wearing a simple white dress with a belt and sleeves made of baby pink ribbons and a skirt that ended a couple inches above her knees. Her shoes were also white except for the weaved wedge heels and the baby pink ribbons that crisscrossed all the way up to the middle of her calves.

Plainly put, from the way she looked, the ensemble knocked off five years off her actual age.

"Hashimoto-san said the bank manager was also another one of my dad's old close friends. Maybe he'll take pity on me when he sees how young and innocent I am to actually get married in a rush."

Tomoyo giggled. "Well if that's your goal then the outfit is absolutely perfect. You look like a college student… High school, even!"

"Why thank you," she said with a curtsey that made both girls laugh.

Their laughter was cut short, however, when the doorbell to Sakura's apartment rang.

She frowned.

"Who could that be?"

"Syaoran?" Tomoyo suggested instantly.

"I told him I'll be going to visit my father's grave, which is true," she added after seeing the look Tomoyo gave her.

Sakura had it all worked out. It was a long weekend for Li Corp. employees because the following day after the weekend was the founding anniversary of the Tokyo branch. All employees had that day off due to that night's activities. She figured she could use the opportunity to see what she can do in Tomoeda without worrying about Syaoran coming after her. He was, after all, the host of the day's events to be held on Monday evening and was surely needed to plan it beforehand as well. There's no way he'd ditch something that important.

"So you actually don't mind staying there now? I mean… I know it's been years since that thing happened when you were a kid but you've always been adamant about not going to Tomoeda if you can help it."

"I stayed there for a few days after dad passed away," she said with a shrug. "I can brave three days and two nights there I think. Besides, this is for a good cause."

The doorbell went off again which made both girls jump. They'd completely forgotten about the sudden visitor.

"Coming!" Sakura shouted as she dashed out of her walk-in closet and through the door that led to her shoe closet.

Tomoyo listened for a few seconds until the voice she had expected reached her ears. She tried to bite down her smile.

* * *

"You look delicious enough to eat," Syaoran admitted with a shameless look on his face.

He had never seen Sakura dress in this way and he had no objections. She looked so pure and innocent it almost made him feel like the devil himself for the indecent thoughts he was currently having for the woman standing before him.

"W-What are you doing here?" she asked, a blush creeping up her face at the evident dark haze that was overwhelming his amber eyes. She knew only too well of the other thoughts that was running through his mind.

"For you, what else?" he said as he took her into his arms and stepping inside.

Syaoran was in the middle of sucking on a spot on Sakura's nape when a new but familiar voice interrupted.

"Hey Syaoran!" Tomoyo shouted, still inside Sakura's closet.

He turned to look through the open doorway to see the girl waving her arm at him, one room down.

Sakura, still blushing, patted him in the shoulder, motioning for him to put her down. She still looked incapable of speech.

"Hey Tomoyo," he called back and put Sakura back onto her feet. He placed a chaste kiss atop her head and pulled her chin up to look at him. "As I said to you on the phone last night, I'm coming with you."

This sobered her up instantly.

"I… I said I'll just go alone though."

Syaoran ignored her statement, took her hand and started pulling her towards where Tomoyo was.

"So what brings you to these parts?" Tomoyo asked, grinning madly. She can never get enough of the couple.

Watching Sakura and Syaoran had become her favorite pastime. Not only had it been amusing to watch Sakura with her apparent lovey-dovey behavior, but lately it had been amusing to watch Syaoran as well. His adoration for Sakura was getting more and more obvious and she couldn't help but like him even more because of it.

"I'm going with Sakura to Tomoeda for the weekend," he told her, totally oblivious to Sakura's distress. She was currently behind him, shooting Tomoyo looks apparently asking for help.

"Oh? But I'm going with Sakura to Tomoeda. The three of us are going then?" she asked smoothly.

Sakura gaped at her which she immediately replaced with an innocent smile when Syaoran turned to look at her.

"You never said you were going with Tomoyo," he said with a raised brow. "I wouldn't have cleared my weekend to escort you if I knew you had company."

"I did tell you I'm fine going without you," she said, raising her own brow at him.

"Hmm… I won't feel guilty about working this afternoon then," he said with a grin. "Plus I have a lot of things to look over and finalize by tomorrow for the party on Monday."

Sakura gave him a half exasperated, half amused look. So he only planned on coming with her all because he thought she'd be alone.

That was rather sweet.

She turned to hug him. "Thank you," she murmured against his chest before pulling back to look up at him with a grin. "We'll be fine. You go ahead and work Mr. CEO. Save Japan from bankruptcy!" she declared in an exaggeratedly distressed voice.

Tomoyo nodded in agreement and raised her hand into a salute.

Syaoran laughed.

"Besides," Sakura added, "you didn't actually plan to skip the anniversary ball, did you?"

"No. But I planned on accompanying you until tomorrow night at least."

She shook her head just as Tomoyo said in a gushing voice, "Awww… How sweet!"

Syaoran grinned over at Tomoyo and gave her a wink.

"Have fun at the ball," Sakura said and unnecessarily readjusted his tie. "Don't flirt around or anything."

"Flirt? I've stayed single for almost three years 'til I met you."

She shrugged. "All the same."

"I have eyes only for you," he whispered into her ear. "You owe me one though. I won't have a date on Monday."

Sakura smiled and kissed his cheek.

* * *

Sakura checked the overhead LED marquee and down at her ticket. Her train was coming up next.

"Are you sure about this?"

Tomoyo placed her own travel bag next to Sakura's and grinned. "I don't mind at all! I have never been to Tomoeda!"

In the end, Tomoyo really did end up having to come with Sakura. Syaoran had stayed at her apartment all the while and had insisted to drop both women off at the station before he headed to work.

"You didn't have any plans with your boyfriend, right?"

"Nope. We usually go on casual dates on weekends but we had nothing specially planned. He didn't pick up so I left him a voicemail right before I left my apartment."

* * *

"_Eriiiii! I'm tagging along with Sakura on her trip. We're going to her hometown for a three day visit. I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand, it was a last minute thing. Text me when you've gotten this message. I looooove yoouuuuu!"_

Eriol blinked as his girlfriend's excited voice cut off and was replaced with beeps. He looked back down at his cell phone and saw a text as well.

_Didn't know I wasn't the only one going without a date to the ball on Monday._

– _Li Xiao Lang –_

'Neither did I,' he thought with a sigh and pocketed his cell phone into his lab coat. Tomoyo never even mentioned the possibility of going on a trip. 'So much for the surprise.'

Eriol had planned on announcing his surprise to the girls at Li Corp.'s 9th Year Anniversary Ball, thinking it was a perfect opportunity for him to finally reveal his identity to Sakura and to finally reveal to Tomoyo of his relationship with Syaoran.

Turns out, his plan had come to naught.

"Oh well. Another time, I guess," he told himself as he gave a halfhearted wave at the group comprising of businessmen and other doctors who were now leaving the conference room they were gathered in for their meeting earlier.

* * *

Tomoyo slid the window open and breathed in the fresh air.

"This is wonderful!"

It was only a little after twelve and they were finally in Tomoeda and settled into the Kinomoto household.

Ever since they left the station and made their way towards the residence, Tomoyo had been giddy. Tomoeda wasn't exactly country-like by any standard but Tomoyo had grown up in Tokyo and wasn't used to the lack of pollution and the bustle of people and cars at every turn. The serene scenery wasn't hard enough to imagine when she was in the beaches of Maui, but to still be in Japan and without the scurrying ways of the city was entirely new to her.

"This place is great Sakura. It's so… Rustic."

Sakura rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Let's go out for lunch then to my dad's grave and then to the bank. I'll show you around town a bit afterwards if it doesn't get dark by then."

Tomoyo grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

Naoki ran his hand through his long hair and sighed before throwing the document onto the growing stack at the corner of his desk.

"So much for my weekend," he grumbled under his breath at the amount of work that piled up through the week.

"Morita-san."

Naoki looked up to see one of the bank tellers who had poked her head through the slightly ajar door.

"Yes?"

"You have a guest, sir."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I don't have any scheduled appointments today."

The woman merely shrugged in response.

"Who is it?"

"She said her name is Sakura Kinomoto."

Naoki frowned.

'Kinomoto… Sakura Kinomoto…' he thought as he repeated the name over and over in his head. The name seemed awfully familiar.

"I had her and her companion wait in the main lobby," she added, interrupting his thoughts.

He nodded and waved her away.

"Sakura Kinomoto," he muttered as he stood from his seat and maneuvered around his desk and outside his office.

He still can't place it.

The name was indeed familiar although from where, he still couldn't- Naoki stopped. The moment he exited the more private area of the bank and entered the large open-spaced lobby where bank tellers and a number of chairs were situated, his eyes immediately fell upon two beautiful women seated in the far corner.

"Sakura Kinomoto," he repeated yet again as he assessed the girl with the honey-colored hair. He grinned as realization finally overcame him. No wonder the name struck him, it was _her_.

Naoki readjusted his suit jacket, ran a hand through his hair once more and strode towards them.

* * *

"God I hope he'll let me off," Sakura said once more.

The moment they entered the bank, agitation had permanently settled inside her.

Tomoyo took hold of her hands and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Luck may be on your side Sakura, if he's a good friend of your father's then I'm sure he'd take your circumstances under consideration."

Sakura gave her a halfhearted smile and started breathing in deeply to calm herself.

"Thanks for offering to help by the way," she said in a low voice, eyeing Tomoyo's clothes.

She simply giggled.

They both have discussed the possible outcomes of today's meeting. If the manager wasn't fooled into giving in to Sakura's request with her play on being an "innocent", then Tomoyo would have to back her up by acting as a seductress.

Tomoyo was wearing a tight-fitting little black dress with matching black high heels. It was simple yes, but it showed so much skin than should be allowed in public. She swore the waiter at the restaurant they had lunch at was close to sustaining a nosebleed at the sight of Tomoyo when she took off her cardigan as they settled into their seats.

Sakura knew it was a rather low thing to do but she was, after all, desperate.

"I'll do my best to act out my role," she said in a determined voice.

They both laughed silently at this and didn't notice the approaching figure until he stopped right in front of them and cleared his throat.

Both women looked up.

"Good afternoon ladies," Naoki greeted with a pleasant smile. "I've been told that you have come to see me, Ms. Kinomoto," Naoki said, looking at Sakura who had a stunned look on her face.

She sent Tomoyo a quick look of unsettled astonishment before standing up and bowing to him.

"Hello and good afternoon," she said before sending him an uncertain look. "Err… Morita-san?"

Naoki nodded.

Sakura couldn't help but frown. She had thought Nao Morita was a much older person, maybe around her father's age or even older. To be honest, she had envisioned the man to be almost grandfather-like. In fact, she was even counting on it. Older men tended to be softer and more understanding.

But this person was nowhere close being grandfather-like. He didn't even look remotely father-like.

He had jet black hair that fell loosely around his ears. Sakura could tell he had the habit of running his hands through it by the way it waved slightly in the front. He had around the same build as Syaoran although falling a few inches shorter than him and his eyes were an intense color of chestnut brown. He also gave off the aura of being a full-fledged bachelor.

Naoki gave her a look of puzzlement at her obvious appraisal of him. "Yes?"

She shook her head. "I… I'm sorry. To be honest, I'm quite surprised that you're so… Err…"

He had to try and suppress a grin. Naoki was sure she was about to comment on his good looks. Indeed he got that compliment often from random girls around town as he grew up.

"Young," Sakura finished.

He had to suppress a frown now.

Sakura still couldn't help but look at him curiously. Surely this wasn't the man her father was good friends with for _years_? He didn't even look that much older than she was. If he was indeed friends with her father, then he must've been a teenager or something when they met.

She also recalled giving the bank a call right when she heard of her father's will to question the manager. Although she can't clearly remember the voice of the person she had spoken to then, she had the feeling that it still didn't match up to this person in front of her now.

"How old did you expect me to be?" Naoki asked, trying to keep the disappointment in his voice.

Sakura blushed. "I… No, it's not that I assumed that… Uhmm…" she was flustered now and at a loss for words. Was he insulted by her comment? He sounded as if he was.

"Tomoyo Daidouji," Tomoyo interjected, standing up and pushing her breasts out for the world to see.

Tomoyo tried her utmost not to laugh when she saw the startled look on the man's face and couldn't help but notice his eyes flit down to her obvious cleavage before he looked up to meet her eyes.

"I'm a friend of Sakura's," she said in a purposefully lowered tone of voice than her usual one.

The corner of Sakura's eyes twitched when she saw the ridiculously flirtatious look on Tomoyo's face. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from snorting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Ms. Daidouji," Naoki replied pleasantly as he took Tomoyo's outstretched hand and kissed it.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I am absolutely loving Eriol and Tomoyo as I write along. I didn't even mean to make them such light and fun-loving characters, it just happened.

I hope you enjoy my take on them in this story!

By the way, just to let everyone know... I'll be updating this story _every weekend_. I'm still figuring out and writing this story but I'm announcing the update time officially to set a deadline for myself. The pressure might help me right more. I'm leaving the country for a _long_ (literally, I'll be there for half a year) vacation by tomorrow. That's why I set the deadline for myself in the first place. :P

Anyway, that's it for now. I'll be on the other side of the world when I update next! Ja ne!

**Raeny**


	10. Mild Suspicions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**"Mild Suspicions"**

* * *

Nao laughed a long, hearty laugh.

Sakura and Tomoyo threw Naoki yet another apologetic look at this in which he simply shook his head and smiled.

"An understandable mistake my dears, no need to worry," Nao reassured amidst his still ongoing hilarity.

"We really are sorry though," Sakura added once more with another bow of her head at both men. She turned to Tomoyo whose face was still pink from embarrassment at what took place earlier.

Apparently, the man they had met was Naoki Morita, the son and the assistant manager of the bank. Nao Morita, the bank's manager was- as Sakura expected him to be –a dear 65 year old man, who was plump around the middle and had a face that had obviously gone through the years of aging.

It didn't take them long to realize the truth of it all and it was mostly thanks to Tomoyo. Ever since their introductions, she had flirted so openly and shamelessly with Naoki in the main lobby while Sakura kept throwing random compliments at him about how youthfully handsome she thought he was to cover up her earlier blunder.

Their little scene then had earned the pair a lot of scandalized looks from the employees that ended up with them reporting to his father.

"But yes, this is my Naoki, he's going to replace my position soon as manager," she said with a wink at Tomoyo who blushed even more furiously.

It was apparent then that the older man took her flirtations with his son to heart.

She smiled awkwardly and looked away.

To save her best friend from further embarrassment, Sakura immediately brought to light the main purpose of her visit.

"Morita-san," she started, looking at him with a pleading yet innocent enough look on her face. "I've come here to discuss the will."

When the words left her lips, Nao instantly sobered and nodded his head in understanding before turning to his son.

"Naoki, I need to have a private word with Sakura-san."

Naoki nodded, looked over at Sakura for a fleeting moment then left the room without another word.

"Uhmm…" Nao added with a meaningful look at Tomoyo.

Sakura shook her head. "She can stay. She's aware of the will's contents."

Nao nodded, trying to keep the disappointment he felt from showing. He had hoped she would step out and wait outside also to give her and Naoki some time together.

Putting his matchmaking thoughts aside, he looked over at Sakura more seriously now.

"What would you like to discuss?"

She breathed in. There was nothing else for it. Her original plan on feigning total innocence and her back-up plan of Tomoyo's seduction had failed before it had even started. All she can do now is simply hope for the best.

* * *

Naoki leaned against the wall outside the conference room his father and the two women were in.

He was dead curious as to what they were discussing for he knew nothing of a will that Sakura just mentioned. Regardless of family relations, when it was about work or other private matters concerning other people, his father always held firm. He had already expected to be sent out. That was also exactly why he was standing there, almost glued to the wall and trying to strain his ears to try and catch a hint of what exactly they were talking about inside.

"You should have seen it! That dark haired one was almost close to pouncing on him if the manager hadn't interrupted."

He turned at the whispered yet still clear words and saw the group of women huddled across the hall. They were obviously gossiping about what had happened earlier.

They looked up when they saw him turn to them and simply smiled back in return, unconcerned of his notice.

"But you know," another one of the women continued in a lower voice though he could still catch it. "I thought that girl in the white dress was awfully familiar."

"Yes, what did you say the girl's name was?"

"When she came in and asked for Morita-san, she said her name was Sakura Kinomoto."

"Kinomoto? You mean Fujitaka Kinomoto's daughter?"

"Who?"

"Fujitaka Kinomoto. He was an archeology professor at the university. Really, he's the only one who actually made a name for himself in this town. How can you not know of him?"

The rest of the group shrugged.

"It's not like I took up archeology class in college. I think all of us here graduated from the finance and the accounting departments. How come you know him?"

"My little brother had him as a professor before. Always raved about how good he was. Besides that, the man's quite famous years back. He's always on the news over a decade ago, before he became a full-time professor."

Naoki continued to listen to them all the while still trying to strain his ears onto the closed room behind him.

Not that he doubted his own assumptions, this only proved him even more correct. Sakura Kinomoto was indeed the archeology professor's daughter and the same Sakura Kinomoto who was in the year below him in university. He hadn't seen her in years ever since he graduated but it wasn't hard to notice how beautiful she still looked. If anything, she was even more gorgeous than she was back then.

* * *

Sakura sighed and nodded dejectedly.

Nao gave her a pitying smile and patted her hands which were clasped together on top of the table between them.

"If I know Fujitaka," he said with a more impressive voice, "which I do, then I know he wouldn't have put that in his will if he wasn't sure that it is in your best interests."

She didn't bother saying anything else to that. Neither he nor Mr. Hashimoto knew of the actual circumstances that led to the writing of that part of the will in the first place.

"So there's nothing I can do then?" she asked, her hopelessness now apparent.

He gave her a reassuring and fatherly smile before shaking his head.

"Morita-san," Tomoyo said, cutting in after taking a good long look at Sakura. "What if Sakura and Li simply got engaged? I know it's not marriage but it would still lead up to it if you think about it."

Nao looked thoughtful for a long while before sighing.

"It's still entirely different from Fujitaka's wishes though. He's told me enough through the years how much he simply wanted you," he looked over at Sakura, "to be married so you can have a more happy and secured life."

Tomoyo's shoulders slumped, as did Sakura's which was quite impressive to accomplish seeing as she had already been slumped so low on her chair after the entire course of the discussion.

He looked at both women worriedly now.

"Is it really that complicated a matter to get married to this man?"

"You have no idea," Sakura said with a long, drawn-out sigh.

Tomoyo gave a small smile and nodded. "That tends to be the case when the other party is a renowned businessman."

"Renowned businessman you say?" Nao asked, his interest piqued.

Sakura didn't bother accommodating to his question out of sheer gloominess in which case Tomoyo stepped in instead.

"Yes. Syaoran is quite known especially in Tokyo. He must-"

"Syaoran? You mean Xiao Lang? Li Xiao Lang?_ The_ Li Xiao Lang?"

Tomoyo nodded.

Nao looked over at Sakura, amazed.

"Your father expects you to get married to _the _Li Xiao Lang?" he asked in a slightly incredulous voice obviously in disbelief.

He kept emphasizing "the" whenever he mentioned Syaoran that Sakura almost had to suppress a smile. Indeed that was how she used to address Syaoran when she mentioned him. The apparent difference in their status demanded it. But after spending months with him and actually being his girlfriend, made it all seem so odd now. She had already considered Syaoran as his equal since then. Well, not an equal in terms of status or anything like that, but equally human at least and not at all like the God versus unworthy creature she thought they both were back then.

Sakura looked over at Mr. Morita and could see the rushing of conflicting thoughts going through his head by the shrouded look in his eyes.

"I never knew," he finally said. "I mean, Kentaro-san knew the precise details of the will, yes, but I doubt he knows it's _the_ Li Xiao Lang either. Though uncommon his name might be, the chances of your father having a man of Li's status involved in his will is absolutely surreal. I've been personally told by Fujitaka that you were to be Mrs. Sakura Li to be able to withdraw from his account but I certainly never even considered that the Li he had mentioned to be your husband meant _the_ Li Xiao Lang. Your father only mentioned that last little detail to me mere weeks before his passing."

Was his resolve slipping? Sakura couldn't even dare to hope that as she continued to watch him.

"I admit. When Fujitaka gave me the last minute instructions I was quite puzzled. In truth I had worried that his illness might have addled his judgment on the matter but he seemed clear, concise, and sure enough of what he had told me that I didn't even question it. He never gave me reason to doubt him either. Even if he was ill, he didn't act like it at all."

Sakura nodded mutely, unable to say anything to his words.

"But this…" he said in a low voice. It seemed like the man was talking mostly to himself now. "_The _Li Xiao Lang," he muttered, still in that disbelieving voice. "How Fujitaka would think and expect his daughter would even be in speaking terms with the man… Bet he didn't even know who the man was… Should have questioned him about it… Misjudgment on my part…"

Nao was shaking his head as he continued to talk to himself.

It was obvious at this point that the man was suffering from some form of internal struggle.

Sakura glanced at Tomoyo who had also glanced at her at the same moment.

"Okay," Nao suddenly said in a much clearer voice.

Both women snapped their heads to look at him.

He looked at Sakura with a rather stern look on his face.

"Fujitaka gave me instructions, I can't ignore that. He was a dear friend of mine and God help me if he comes after my soul for denying his dying wish," he said with a rueful smile. "But, considering the special situation you are in and since you are Fujitaka's only child whom I personally know he adored wholeheartedly…"

Sakura held her breath, waiting for him to continue.

"I'll think about an alternative," he continued with a firm nod. "I know what your father wanted for you. He spoke of you often enough to me through the years it's easy enough to know what the man was aiming for with this will. Give me a bit of time to think this entire thing over."

'I suppose it's better than nothing,' Sakura thought to herself.

Tomoyo reached under the table and gave Sakura's leg a reassuring pat.

"Thank you Morita-san."

"Yes, thank you."

Nao smiled at them both and shook his head. "Just as long as my old friend's wishes are met in the end, then I don't mind cooperating."

* * *

Eriol raised his brows and continued to watch the scene, completely bemused.

"What?" Syaoran snapped. The scowl he had been wearing for the past hour was still plastered on his face.

The two people in front of him jumped in response to his abruptness while Eriol started howling with laughter even though he was the recipient of the man's towering temper.

"Go find something else to do," Syaoran said with a glare when he handed over an order sheet he had just signed.

The pair didn't waste time at all to follow his orders. They scurried away while throwing furtive glances over their shoulders at the two men.

"It's obvious to me," Eriol said, trying to wipe the tears that had formed in the corner of his eyes, "that you're not taking the absence of your girlfriend all too well."

Syaoran didn't bother replying as Eriol continued snickering. People passing by them carrying various decorations and items to be used for the ball for the next day were glancing their way time and again.

Shaking his head at the still apparent stoic demeanor his friend was showing, Eriol slapped his hand hard onto Syaoran's shoulder.

He still didn't respond.

"Syaoran, it's only been twenty-four hours since you've been with Sakura. Surely you can't be suffering from her absence as much as you think you are?" he asked with a grin.

True enough, he too missed Tomoyo. Even if they don't spend every single day together, he was still in contact with her for most of the time that it felt like that anyway. Now, with her being so preoccupied with Sakura, the girl barely spoke to him except for a simple good night the previous evening.

This was precisely why he had come to the venue of the anniversary ball, to take his mind off things. And seeing Syaoran being in a worse mood than he was made him think it was the best idea he'd had in a while. It made him feel better about his own situation at least.

"This has nothing to do with her not being with me," he said rather defensively. "Although to be honest I don't like that fact either."

"Then what is it?"

"We talked for a while last night…"

"Good for you," Eriol interjected in a jealous mutter.

"…and everything was fine until she sent me a text earlier about being with one of her seniors in college today."

"What's so bad about that?"

"She's with a _guy_."

"So?"

"I can't recall Sakura ever being with any guy. Not even in the office. She's acquainted to a number of them, yes, but that's only because of her job and she's never been with them in any way, not even in a casual or friendly manner."

Eriol raised a brow at him. Surely he wasn't jealous of something like this?

"I know what you're thinking," he said with a glare at the incredulous expression on his face. "But this is different. From what I gathered after being with Sakura, she's as much of a cynic as I am. That's why she's been-"

"A virgin," Eriol finished with an understanding nod which earned him another glare from Syaoran.

"-an _innocent_," Syaoran corrected in a forced voice at which Eriol rolled his eyes, "until she met me. That and she had always been so secretive about her past."

That last part jabbed at Eriol's curiosity.

"Secretive about her past? Why?"

Syaoran shrugged. "I assume something bad happened to her back then in her hometown. That's how it feels like anyway. Whenever I ask her something about her childhood or anything about her when she used to live in Tomoeda, she always became evasive."

"That's… Interesting."

"If something traumatizing happened to her then, I understand. That's why I never pushed the matter. But this time it got me a bit riled. She's actually spending time with a friend- if he really is a friend –which goes against what I thought I knew about her. For God's sake, the only actual friend I know she has is Tomoyo. So really, she's not only bad at getting close to men but also to women."

"Isn't that assuming a bit too far?" Eriol asked, shaking his head. "Although Tomoyo speaks highly and mostly of only Sakura, even she has other friends too. She's not as close with them but they're friends nonetheless."

Syaoran shook his head in return.

"Not Sakura. I've never even met any of her other friends besides Tomoyo. I haven't even seen her text or talk to anyone else on the phone besides her. She never mentions any other person in our conversations besides her either."

Eriol's brows shot up again, this time surprised yet obviously impressed. Here he thought Syaoran's social standing was poor. Turns out there was someone else much worse. And she didn't have a good reason either. He understood why Syaoran was the way he was with his relationships, it was to be expected from a man of his position, but Sakura was an ordinary office worker, a _beautiful_ ordinary office worker sure, but ordinary all the same. If she was a billionaire business tycoon like Syaoran then, he supposed, it wouldn't have been too surprising.

* * *

"Is something the matter?"

Sakura took her eyes off her cell phone and looked back at Naoki. "Nothing! Just checking for mail."

She had sent Syaoran a text about where she was going and who she was with almost three hours ago now and all he had said was that he was busy. Was he upset? She had been racking her brain all this time trying to think of what she could have said or done.

"Is it a guy?"

Sakura blushed. Was she that obvious?

Naoki frowned, watching her pink-tinged cheeks at his question. So it was a guy then. Well of course, the woman was gorgeous, how can she not have a boyfriend by now?

When their meeting ended yesterday with his father, both women had left the bank but not before Nao invited them to join him and Naoki for the grand re-opening of one of Tomoeda's largest museums where Nao was one of the board of directors.

So here they were now, after the ribbon cutting, following along with the special tour where a number of people were also participating.

"I… I still can't believe we've actually met before," Sakura suddenly said. She wanted to steer the conversation away from her love life. If Naoki's father got wind that she actually was in a relationship and with "_the_ Li Xiao Lang", as he so put it, he might reconsider thinking about the will again.

Naoki grinned at this statement, obviously pleased she had mentioned it.

Right when they met up earlier that day, with Tomoyo flirting away with the older Mr. Morita to gain his sympathy and approval for Sakura's case, Naoki had told her all about his identity and that he had known Sakura since before then.

This greatly surprised Sakura and she wasn't entirely sure what to think of it. She thought it was a good thing that she had one more thing to add to her connection to Mr. Morita although it was his son and not him directly, but she wasn't pleased with the idea of being in the presence of a person who knew her from her school days.

"It was hard not to make the connection," he said, still smiling widely.

Sakura grimaced at his words.

"I mean, you're as beautiful as you were back then in college," he added, in which she sighed in relief.

If that was how he remembered her, then it wasn't all too bad.

"Of course, I've heard a lot about you even before I met you," he continued which made Sakura stiffen once more. "So I already knew who you were when I finally met you face to face. The ridiculous things people said about your-"

Naoki cut off as his father's familiar booming laughter echoed in the hall which earned him an immediate and disapproving shushing from the tour guide. Nao and Tomoyo were in the middle of the group while he and Sakura took the rear.

Sakura sighed in relief at the interruption. She did not like where he was going with this conversation. It was a sensitive topic.

"So are your nursing skills still of use until now?" she asked, yet again trying to steer the conversation away.

Naoki grinned again but shook his head.

"Sad to say they were only ever of use back then," he said with a laugh.

"Thank you, by the way. I don't believe I've ever gotten around to thank you that time. Mind you, I was in tremendous amounts of pain."

He waved his hand at her. "It wasn't much."

When Naoki mentioned to her that they had met before in college, it didn't take long for Sakura to make the connection. She barely spoke to anyone in college if she could help it so it was easy enough to remember where she had supposedly met him especially since he added they met in the university's infirmary.

It had happened when Sakura was experiencing an awful bout of dysmenorrhea. She was close to fainting from the pain and had all but staggered into the infirmary where he was just about to take his leave. No one else was there and although she wanted no contact with anyone at all, she had no choice but to get his assistance.

He led her to a bed and gave her pain medication from one of the clearly labeled shelves. And that's how they met.

Once Sakura drank the tablets, she rolled over in bed and immediately fell into sleep to further ease her discomfort. She can't even remember exchanging any words with him except for her repeated words of "It hurts" at the time.

The corner of Sakura's mouth twitched as the scene passed through her head again.

"So Kinomoto-san, I haven't heard anything about you since college. How have you been?"

"Yes, I moved out as soon as I graduated. Life is great in Tokyo. Although it isn't too far from Tomoeda, the way of life is quite different when you're in a big city."

"Oh, so you live in Tokyo now?"

'Damn,' Sakura thought. She hadn't exactly planned on announcing that fact to anyone from Tomoeda. Even she had repeatedly told her father to avoid telling anyone about it. "Yes."

"Well, I knew you had left town ages ago but from how you were in college, I never would have imagined you to move to a big city like Tokyo. You were so reserved back then. How'd you survive?" he asked jokingly.

Sakura had to force a laugh.

This was precisely why she didn't like staying in Tomoeda and precisely why she escaped the town the second she got the chance. The place was too small for its own good. When juicy pieces of news came up, it never took long for the word to get out to _everyone_.

"Sakura," Tomoyo suddenly interrupted. She was now standing right beside Sakura that it surprised her enough to make her jump a little. "Mr. Morita said he wants to show us a few of his personal collection at his home. He says your father gave it to him during his excavations trips years ago. Do you want to go see them after the tour?"

Sakura turned to Tomoyo then to Nao who was standing a little ways away. He was looking intently at his son. She turned to Naoki who was smiling and shaking his head at his father before he turned to look at her.

"You should have dinner with us as well," he added. The startled look on Sakura's face wasn't lost on him. "I've known for years that our fathers were close friends but I never bothered to make the connection between Fujitaka-san and yourself until yesterday. We should use the opportunity to be friends as well."

The sincere grin on his face made it difficult for Sakura to object. That and the expectant smile on Tomoyo's face as well. She figured Tomoyo was still in the middle of her bid to get Mr. Morita to serve in Sakura's favor so she can't blame the girl for her desperate attempts.

Plus, this would be a great opportunity for her to win Mr. Morita's favor.

And besides, it's only dinner. How bad can it be?

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So this is the last chapter I have that's ready. The next chapter is still under works. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it by Friday. If not, I might have to skip my next weekend's update 'cause I'm going to New York City to visit a couple of friends. From there, we're going on a road trip down to Virginia. So excited!

I'll try my hardest to write though! But no promises.

See you next time! Ja ne!

**Raeny**


	11. Complications

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

After _so long_, here's the next chapter! Hope you guys enjoy!

I'm sorry it took this long. Please forgive this irresponsible authoress!

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**"Complications"**

* * *

It was _very _bad.

How Sakura could think it would be a plain old regular dinner from the start, she didn't know. But by the moment she and Tomoyo stepped into the Morita household, everything went spiraling out of her imagination and control.

For some damned reason or another, Nao had gotten the impression that she wanted alone time with his son and ever since they finished dinner, he had all but dragged Tomoyo in the direction of his office where he held in display his collection of random treasures given to him by her father.

So now here she was, sitting next to Naoki outside in their garden, gently pushing herself backwards and forwards on one of the pair of children's swings while Naoki sat next to her just gazing up at the sky.

"Who uses these?" Sakura asked just to break the uncomfortable silence between them although Naoki didn't seem bothered by it at all. The man looked positively serene just sitting there.

"My sister and I when we were kids," he admitted. "Even though both of us moved out long ago, dad still keeps it here. He probably plans to let his future grandchildren use it someday."

The mention of grandchildren somehow unsettled her.

"Oh? You have a sister? Where is she now?" she asked, steering the conversation to another direction.

"She moved to Kyoto ever since she got married."

The mention of marriage unsettled her too.

"Err… What about your mother?" she pushed on, deftly switching the topic.

"She only recent left for a cruise with a few of her friends," he said, smiling at her. "She'll be home in a few days time though. She adores my dad. Being the kind of wife she is, I don't think she can manage to stay away from her husband for too long."

'Grandchildren, marriage, wife, husband,' Sakura thought, ticking off the words in her head.

_This_. This was exactly why she felt uncomfortable around Naoki.

Sakura never felt anything off from the man after they left the museum that afternoon. But as soon as they came to his father's home, he had been taking about marriage and family related things every single chance he got for some reason that it was almost suffocating her.

She smiled at him instead of saying anything more and they both fell back into the awkward silence that they had started with earlier all over again.

* * *

"That's pretty much it," Nao said with a nod and one last smile at the glass shelves before turning to Tomoyo.

Tomoyo smiled at him. "Thank you for taking the time to show me all this Morita-san. I'm sorry Sakura and I had to intrude so suddenly like this."

He chuckled and shook his head before leaning towards her and speaking in a low conspiratorial voice.

"I'm quite happy you were so enthusiastic in coming here, my dear."

"Oh? Why?"

Nao chuckled again. "I think I've thought of a way around Fujitaka's will for Sakura-san!"

Tomoyo had to try and suppress the joyous exclamation she so wanted to let go at that very moment. She settled on holding onto Nao's hands in appreciation instead.

"Oh, thank you Morita-san! Sakura would be thrilled! She so wanted another choice besides marrying Syaoran in order to inherit what her father had left behind."

"Yes, yes, I quite understand how she may feel about marrying someone as far up as Li," he nodded in almost grim understanding.

Nao paused then and looked at Tomoyo with a curious look on his face.

"Yes?"

"I've been meaning to ask you. You call Li Xiao Lang, Syaoran?"

Tomoyo nodded.

"I've heard of the man being referred to as such but most of the people I know from Tokyo who have dealt with the man don't refer to him so casually," he pointed out, still looking at Tomoyo curiously.

She fidgeted slightly. What was she supposed to say to that? Did Sakura want Mr. Morita to know of her real relationship with Syaoran? She couldn't think of it being a big deal. It was even a surprise that the Moritas didn't know Sakura was dating Syaoran considering how much publicity Syaoran had.

Nao seem to have noticed her own confusion but mistook the cause to mean that she didn't understand what he was trying to say which was proven in what he said next.

"Are you familiar with Li?"

His rather blunt question unnerved Tomoyo so much she reflexively shook her head.

"I… I just hear his name a lot. I work in Li Corp. although in a totally different department far _far_ away from the top. So… Yes, people speak of him often in that manner in the office."

He nodded at this, seemingly mollified by her answer.

"So… So… What exactly are you thinking for Sakura to do as an alternative?" she asked quickly. She didn't even care if he thought she was prying or not. She just needed a change of direction in the conversation.

Surprisingly, the older man smiled widely at her question and gestured for her to take a seat on one of the chairs in his office while he sat behind his desk.

Tomoyo obliged.

"This is what I had in mind," Nao started in a low whisper in which case Tomoyo had to lean forward to catch every word. "I know Fujitaka's main concern was for Sakura-san to be happy and secured in marriage."

She nodded at this.

"Fujitaka's will, I'm thinking, will still be fully realized whether or not she'll be married to Li or not."

Tomoyo wasn't sure she fully understood what he was trying to say. _What _was he trying to say?

Nao chuckled at her puzzled expression.

"Marriage, my dear. As long as Sakura was to be surely and happily married, Fujitaka's main concern will be settled."

"So…" Tomoyo started, hesitating since she still wasn't quite sure of his meaning. "As long as Sakura got married, it's okay? It doesn't have to be with Li?"

He nodded, grinning at her now.

This was still not entirely good news. But it was a good change. Sort of. At least Sakura can find someone else easier to get herself married to than Syaoran.

'But…' Tomoyo thought, disappointed now as the gravity of what he said sunk in. She liked Sakura and Syaoran together.

"So," Nao continued, cutting off her train of thought. "I'm thinking, that as long as I'm assured 100% that Sakura would be happily married and secured in that marriage, it would be fine."

"You mean," Tomoyo started, not daring to hope he meant what she thought he meant just yet. "If Sakura were to only get engaged with the intention of getting married, then it'll be fine?"

Nao nodded. "But only if I'm sure the person she'll be engaged to is a decent man who truly does intend to marry her eventually."

Tomoyo nodded, smiling now.

This was great news! This gave Sakura and Syaoran more time to build on their relationship until they were ready for marriage. It should be easier to get a proposal for marriage before her birthday than to actually have a wedding.

"Which is why," Nao said, shocking Tomoyo seeing as she thought the man was done talking. "I think all this would work out if my son, Naoki, were to be that man!"

Tomoyo almost fell out of her chair. She had to grip on the edge of Nao's desk to steady herself enough to give him a look of incredulity.

Sakura? With _Naoki_?

"But… But Morita-san, you said-"

Nao held up a hand and nodded. "Yes, I know what I said. This is what I meant about a decent man _I _can be assured of to marry her. I can accept an engagement between them by Sakura-san's birthday until they do get around to getting married. I know my son very well too, so I can personally assure Sakura's welfare myself where he's concerned. He could certainly fulfill Fujitaka's wishes to the letter."

"But… So… Uhmm… So does that mean your reconsideration on the will only applies if it's Naoki-san?"

He nodded.

"So in the end, it's either marriage with Syaoran or an engagement with Naoki-san," Tomoyo stated in a small and almost dreamy voice.

Nao heard her, however, and couldn't help but chuckle. It was obvious that he missed the tone of disbelief and the look of horror on her face.

* * *

Sakura shifted uncomfortably. Yet again. She already lost count as to how many times the younger Morita unsettled her in just that single night.

"Sakura?"

Her head snapped up to look at him. She had already long since left the children's swing and had settled with perching herself on a large flat rock nearby instead. Naoki was still sitting in the same spot although had also settled on looking at her over the stars instead.

"Hmm?"

"Is something the matter?"

She shook her head furtively. The last thing she wanted was to let him or his father get wind of any negativity she might be feeling. Of course she knew that it was Naoki's father whom she was currently trying to win over but getting an even better impression through his son wouldn't hurt either.

Looking pacified, Naoki nodded.

Now that Sakura took a closer look on the man, it was only now that she noticed that he seemed quite distracted over something that was apparently going through his head.

"Is something the matter?" she threw back at him.

He ignored her, apparently not hearing a word she had just said.

So something was the matter then.

Sakura made quick snapping sounds with her fingers to get his attention.

It worked. He turned to look at her.

"What's the-"

"Sakura!"

Both Naoki and Sakura turned to look at the open back door where Tomoyo was standing with Nao behind her. It wasn't lost on Sakura the somewhat defeated look her friend had. Nao on the other hand still had his usual wide grin, which he had ever since they left the museum earlier.

* * *

"Are you sure you're all right?"

Tomoyo nodded mutely at her question and proceeded to crawl on top of the bed inside the room she and Sakura were sharing since they arrived in Tomoeda. The entire house's furniture was covered in white blankets to keep the dust from settling and to avoid having more to clean up afterwards, they decided on sharing a bad in Sakura's old bedroom.

"Tomoyo."

Sakura had only said her name but both girls knew it held meaning.

Tomoyo sighed and patted on the spot next to her in which Sakura went to sit on.

"I'm just tired, that's all," she admitted truthfully. "I spent most of the day entertaining Morita-san after all." She wanted so much to tell Sakura of Nao's new proposal but she just didn't know where to begin.

Sakura sighed a long sigh in response to this.

"You and me both. I had my share of stress earlier even if all I did was tlak to Naoki."

This got Tomoyo's interest.

"Don't you like Naoki? I though you two were getting along quite well all things considered."

Sakura gave her an almost disbelieving look. "Naoki's okay I guess but… I don't know. Maybe I'm just not used to talking to men anymore or maybe I'm just so used to Syaoran or something but I'm always on the edge with him for some reason."

Tomoyo had to try hard not to smile at this. So it was pointless to mention Nao's alternative for Sakura then. Simply judging from Sakura's face and the way she was speaking now about Naoki, there was in no way she would accept it.

Besides that, Sakura was much too in love with Syaoran.

It was ridiculous of her to even think that she'd leave him for anyone else.

* * *

Syaoran downed what was left in his champagne glass and placed it atop of a tray a passing waiter was holding.

So far the ball was going off without a hitch.

"Bored Mr. Li?" He looked up just as Eriol came to stand beside him. "That's the sixth time I've caught you checking your watch. Not only that but I'm sure people around must've caught you check on your cellphone more than once as well."

Syaoran made a rude and unconcerned sound at this. Truth be told, he hadn't even noticed his agitation. He must've been checking on his watch and cellphone without really knowing what he was doing. This surprised him.

"Heard form Sakura yet?"

He shook his head and Eriol sighed in reply.

"I haven't heard from Tomoyo either. You'd think those women would come running to where we were the moment they get back."

Before Syaoran could respond, a woman much older than either he or Eriol had come up and tapped Eriol on the shoulder.

"Dr. Hiiragizawa!"

"Ah, Mrs. Honda, what a surprise."

Syaoran watched as both exchanged pleasantries before Eriol was forced to pull the woman to the dance floor for a waltz. This was one of the few things that he enjoyed all night and that was watching Eriol being forced to dance with random women who were acquainted with him and his family out of courtesy. Of course Eriol had the choice to decline as Syaoran had since the party began but he was much too gallant for it.

It was a few minutes later that Eriol had taken his place back next to him and looking relaxed as if he'd been standing there for hours. Syaoran knew better though. He knew the man must've been exhausted.

"I think I'm gonna head out early tonight."

Syaoran smirked. He knew that line was coming soon after the kind of night he was having.

Eriol saw the look of smugness in his face and raised a brow at him.

"At least I can head out early."

Syaoran was about to retort but was stopped when his eyes landed on an oh-too familiar figure walking amongst the crowd across the dance floor.

She was wearing a simple black gown, much simpler compared to what most of everyone was wearing in any case but the gown hugged her every curve from its tube top bodice down to the top of her hips in a sort of bandage-wrap style until it flared down with the front hem ending in the middle of her thighs and the back only just touching the floor.

Eriol, who had been watching Syaoran, turned to follow his gaze until his eyes landed on Sakura.

He grinned and didn't even say a word as he left him standing there and maneuvering his way through the dance floor and over to Sakura.

Without warning, he took her hand in his and pulled her to the dance floor much to Sakura's surprise and- as he glanced over his shoulder –Syaoran's irritation.

* * *

"Well good evening, Sakura," he greeted cheerily as he stopped right in the middle of the large dance floor.

Sakura gave one last glance to the people around her who were quite obviously staring at her and Eriol even if there were a lot of other couples already dancing around them.

"Good evening Eriol. You surprised me. I haven't seen you in quite a while."

Eriol grinned at this. Of course she hasn't, he had tried his utmost to make sure of that.

"So," he began, trying to sound casual. "Did you come here alone?"

"Yes, I thought I'd come here and surprise Syaoran," Sakura admitted with a blush. "I haven't found him yet though."

"Oh I'm sure he'll be very surprised. He's been quite the character since the ball began, just so you know. I assume you haven't contacted him the entire time?"

She nodded and gave him a how-did-you-know-that? look.

Eriol leaned closer to her and whispered into her ear.

"He's been checking his cellphone over a hundred times. I assumed it was because you haven't spoken to him all night."

When he pulled back, Sakura's face had gotten even pinker.

"I… Errr…" Sakura was at a loss for words. Yes she had gotten to know Eriol and had spoken to him quite a bit before but they weren't exactly in really close terms yet to warrant him to say something personal like that. It surprised her. What made her embarrassed most of all was the fact that this man was just as high up in status in his own area of management that being spoken to so casually by him wasn't something she'd expect even if he was Syaoran's closest friend.

It was her turn to clear her throat.

"I-I-I was actually going to come here with a colleague of mine," she blurted out. She was at a loss as to what else to say. And they were talking about present company anyway. She might as well share this piece of random information while they were on the subject. She was also hoping this would move the subject from her and Syaoran.

"Oh?"

Sakura was glad that he looked quite interested in her random confession.

"Yes, but she wanted to go and surprise her boyfriend instead of coming to a company ball."

A somewhat excited and affectionate grin graced Sakura's lips as she said this and Eriol had to try to keep his interest and surprise from showing on his face and his voice. He already knew she was speaking of and thinking about Tomoyo. If that was the case then where was Tomoyo now? His place or her own apartment? Now that he thought of it, he didn't even tell Tomoyo where he was going to be tonight and the girl hadn't contacted him all night just as Sakura had with Syaoran.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, she's quite sweet. She adores her boyfriend. Earlier today, she told me she was planning on giving her boyfriend a-"

"May I cut in?"

He and Sakura both turned to see the CEO of Li Corp., standing there quite rigidly and looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Syaoran!" Sakura exclaimed with a wide smile up at him just as he took her hand from Eriol's and pulled her against his frame.

"Five minutes," Eriol said with a sigh. "You couldn't wait five more minutes?"

Syaoran raised a brow at him at this statement and Sakura was giving him a puzzled look.

With another exaggerated sigh, Eriol placed one hand in his pant pocket and held the other in the air in a casual wave as he turned his back on the couple.

"I'll see you two lovebirds later."

Syaoran and Sakura watched him leave before turning to look at each other.

"What was that about?" they asked each other at the same time.

Sakura giggled and rested her head against his broad chest.

"You smell good," she whispered.

He hugged her in return before leaning into her ear. "And you look delicious."

She pulled back with her face the shade of a ripe tomato.

"So," Syaoran said with a piercing look at her. "What did Eriol say to get you to look exactly like this earlier?"

A look of puzzlement crossed her face at this.

Syaoran pointed his thumb behind him. "Ever since you entered the hall, I've been watching you. Eriol got to you first, unfortunately. I didn't want to make a scene so I gave him five minutes of your time with him for a quick dance."

Sakura tried to bite back her smile.

"He was just talking about you. I got embarrassed because I didn't expect him to speak about things like that so casually with me."

"Why not? He knows about us."

"Well, we're not exactly as close as you two are."

"I suppose. Then what did you tell him afterwards? He looked like you got his interest quite a bit. No matter how openly kind Eriol is, he's not exactly the kind of man whose interest is easily taken much like myself."

"I thought so too," Sakura admitted and sounding impressed with her own accomplishment earlier. "All I did was tell him that I was supposed to come with a colleague of mine."

"Tomoyo?"

She nodded. "Yes but I didn't tell him that, he doesn't even know her. Kind of pointless to give names, don't you think?"

Syaoran had to force himself not to shout in laughter.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So this chapter has been completed for some time now. I just didn't upload it because I haven't figured out the chapter following this. Ugh.

But! This update is way past overdue which is why I decided to upload this.

As for the next chapter, hopefully I can upload it by next month. No promises though but I'll try my hardest considering how busy I've been lately.

Also, regarding the recent issues I've been experiencing with my other story **Lies and Love** (it has somehow been the object of a lot of plagiarism attempts), I finally decided on re-uploading it to this website. I thank those who have supported me with that regard and also I highly encourage my readers to please not attempt stealing it once again. If you do want to use any of my stories for any reason, just please tell me before hand! That's really all I ask. It's hard to feel carefree in writing with the constant worry of my own hard work being stolen.

So, please, please, please!

That's it for now... Ja ne!

**Raeny**


	12. Special Chapter: OMAKE

**Disclaimer: **I do not own CCS, KnB, or SnK. But I do own this omake.

**Warning:** This is not an official chapter to **Mending Mistakes** but a mere update in which I hope will save me from the wrath of my readers.

I hope you guys will enjoy this! As you read along, you'll also see some random (yet special) guest appearances. Two are well-loved characters from my other CCS story (guess who?) and the rest are from other popular fandoms. Oh ho~!

Oh, and if you haven't read my other story, **Lies and Love**, I suggest you DO NOT READ this. Why? SPOILERS. Tons (okay not really, but still) of them. Ye have been warned! Arr!

* * *

**OMAKE**

* * *

**Part I**

_- Amnesiac Author -_

* * *

**Sakura:** So… Uhmm… What happens from here?

**Eriol:** Beats me _*shrugs*_

**Tomoyo:** I was looking forward to more scenes with Sakura! _*pouts*_

**Eriol:** Huh? What about me Tomoyo?

**Tomoyo:** Oh, and with Eri of course.

**Eriol:** _*mutters*_ I'm being treated like some side act…

**Tomoyo:** I love you Eri~

**Eriol:** I love you too Tomoyo! _*hugs tightly*_

**Syaoran:** Oi, oi, enough with the PDA!

**Eriol:** You and Sakura are the main pair of this story, you're gonna get your share anyway. Leave us alone.

**Syaoran:** _*blushes furiously*_ W-What! You and Tomoyo are the second pair. Leave the affection for the main story! You're gonna get it too!

**Eriol:** No! _*being stubborn*_

**Tomoyo:** _*giggles*_

**Sakura:** …

**Syaoran:** Oi! Author-san, do something about this!

**Raeny:** _*falls into a dogeza*_ I don't know what to do! I can't even think about what will happen to you guys after the last chapter!

**Syaoran, Sakura, Eriol, Tomoyo:** NANIIII~!?

**Sakura:** B-But, what's going to happen to us from now on?

**Syaoran:** Yeah, I didn't even get to marry Sakura yet!

**Sakura:** _*blushes in embarrassment* _Aww~ Syaoran!

**Syaoran:** I mean… I've married her in all your other stories, haven't I?

**Sakura:** _*whacks Syaoran*_ Is that your only reason for wanting to marry me?

**Syaoran:** _*sweat drops*_ O-Of course not! I do love you, you know! It's just that, hasn't that been the norm for us?

**Sakura:** Author-san, I refuse to marry Syaoran now! _*crosses arms*_

**Raeny:** Ehhh!? But you have to marry him. I already have the plot all the way to the ending worked out. It's just that I find it hard to write at the moment.

**Syaoran, Sakura, Eriol, Tomoyo:** …

**Raeny:** …

**Tomoyo:** Uhmm… Spoiler alert?

**Raeny:** GYAAAHHHHH! _*rips own hair out*_

**Eriol:** Cool! What about me and Tomoyo then? Are we gonna have a wedding too? Huh? HUH?

**Syaoran:** Shuddup Eriol, this has nothing to do with you! You should be happy you're even in this story. You and Tomoyo were completely written out of **Lies and Love**. _*snickers*_

**Eriol:** … Quit rubbing that in!

**Tomoyo:** You're mean Syaoran! Just because you got a bit of popularity from that story!

**Syaoran:** _*looks proud and shrugs conceitedly*_

**Xiao Tian:** Mom!

**Xiao Hai:** Dad!

**Sakura:** Syaoian! Syaoai! What are you doing here?

**Syaoran:** Ehhhh?! What are you two doing here?! _*looks at the author*_ Why are they here? Are they gonna be born as our children in this story too?

**Raeny:** Eh? EHHHH? I don't know anymore! _*flips table*_

**Tomoyo:** OMGGGGGG! Adorable twins! _*hugs the boys tightly and runs around in excited circles*_

**Eriol:** Woah! So this must mean you're gonna get Sakura knocked up in this story too, eh Syaoran?

**Xiao Hai: **Knocked up?

**Xiao Tian:** What does that mean?

**Sakura:** _*whacks Eriol*_

**Eriol: **_*defensive_* Hey! Syaoran's thinking it too!

**Syaoran:** …

**Sakura: **…

**Syaoran**: Hehe~!

**Sakura:** _*whacks Syaoran*_

**Syaoran:** Oi! _*looks at the author again*_ So that's really gonna happen?

**Raeny:** NO! I DON'T KNOW! DON'T ASK ME! _*looses it completely and flips everything in sight before running out of the room*_

**Syaoran, Sakura, Eriol, Tomoyo:** …

**Eriol: **Err… So there you have it. _*faces the audience with a gentleman's smile*_ Author-san hasn't been right in the head and thus the lack of updates.

**Syaoran:** Oi, don't decide that for yourself.

**Eriol:** _*raises a brow*_ Wasn't that made obvious just now?

**Syaoran:** _*grumbles*_ Can't argue with that…

**Xiao Tian:** So what happens now?

**Xiao Hai:** Can we stay?

**Sakura & Syaoran:** Uhhh…

**Tomoyo:** Hold on… Sakura, Syaoran, didn't you have triplets?

**Sakura:** I've been meaning to ask but never got the chance. _*looks at the twins pointedly* _Where's Mei Hua?

**Xiao Tian:** It's her turn to act as sacrifice…

**Xiao Hai:** …that's why we managed to escape and come here.

**Syaoran, Sakura, Eriol, Tomoyo: **SACRIFICE?!

**Xiao Hai:** To distract Mona so we can go have fun outside…

**Xiao Tian:** …Syaoai did it the last time, now it's her turn.

**Syaoran & Sakura: **NANIII?!

**Tomoyo:** What about your parents?

**Xiao Tian & Xiao Hai:** _*simultaneously points at Syaoran and Sakura*_

**Syaoran:** E-Eh? But, your parents are Actor Syaoran and Singer Sakura! Not CEO Syaoran and Scheming Sakura!

**Sakura:** … Say that again Syaoran. I dare you! It wasn't my choice to be this way you know! _*starts throwing shoe collection at Syaoran*_

**Syaoran:** _*runs away* _Oi Sakura! I love you! And I thought you loved me too? Stop!

**Sakura:** I do love you! Pain comes with love Syaoran! Feel the pain! Feel the love!

**Eriol:** _*drags the author out from somewhere*_ It's about time you fix this! It's getting all too confusing!

**Raeny:** Sorry, who are you? I have suddenly acquired amnesia. I can't help you right now. Please try again later. Beep~ Beep~ BEEP~!

**Syaoran, Sakura, Eriol, Tomoyo: **Don't make things up just to make it convenient!

**Raeny:** _*continues to feign ignorance*_

**Syaoran, Sakura, Eriol, Tomoyo: **OI!

* * *

_**- THE END -**_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Because I can't find it in me to write the next chapter yet, I wrote this Omake instead.

I know, it's not what you guys are expecting! But I had to somehow give an update of some sort. At least, to show you guys I'm still very much alive. It's just I've had a massive writer's block since the last chapter. Although yes, I already planned out what'll happen in the end, it's just I can't write it. Ugh. Fellow writers, you understand... Right? It just happens. It may take a long while, but I'll update eventually. Promise!

For now I hope you enjoyed this short skit. I even brought out Syaotian and Syaoai for you (although it's also because I miss them as well) though their identities may confuse those of you who haven't read **Lies and Love**. Gah! Oh well.

Here are some definitions as well:

_Omake_ - means "Extra" and is commonly used in manga/anime as a sort of bonus for the audience

_Dogeza_ - term for when a person prostrates him/herself; a position in which a person gets down on their hands and knees with their head bowed low and touching the floor

That's it for now.

**Raeny**

_P.S._ - Below is the reason for my inability to finish a single story.

* * *

**Part II**

_- Ganged Up -_

* * *

_Meanwhile, in another fandom..._

**Kise:** Ehh? Author-cchi, what're you doing here?

**Aomine:** You said you weren't gonna write mine and Kise's story until you finish that **CCS** story?

**Raeny:** But I just can't help it~! Long live **Kuroko no Basuke**!

**Takao:** Ehh? I thought you were writing Shin-chan and my story first? _*pouts*_

**Midorima:** Don't add more pressure on her. Fool. At this rate, no story at all will be released.

**Raeny:** Actually, I'm writing Takao and Midorima's too!

**Kise, Aomine, Takao, Midorima:** ...

**Raeny:** _*pretends as if there's no problem at all*_

**Kise, Aomine, Takao, Midorima:** OI!

**Eriol:** What the... So that's why she ditched us? She's been writing _yaoi_?!

**Syaoran:** Author-san! What the hell!

**Sakura & Tomoyo:** Yaoi...?

**Raeny:** Yes, YAOI.

**Sakura & Tomoyo:** YES! DO IT!

**Syaoran & Eriol:** OI!

_Meanwhile, in (yet) another fandom..._

**Levi:** Tch. This author even came in and started writing a story for me. That _too_ was never finished. Figures.

**Raeny:** It's because I love **Shingeki no Kyojin** too! I couldn't help but start writing after I watched/read the anime/manga!

**Levi:** _*brandishes blades*_ Stop writing stories and quitting before one is over!

**Raeny:** ... But!

**Syaoran, Sakura, Eriol, Tomoyo, Kise, Aomine, Takao, Midorima:** We completely agree!

**Raeny:** _*looks at everyone, blinks, and turns to leave*_

**Syaoran, Sakura, Eriol, Tomoyo, Kise, Aomine, Takao, Midorima, Levi:** OI!

* * *

Thus ends the story of the author being ganged up by her favorite anime/manga characters...

**Raeny:** Poor me... _*sniffs*_


	13. Aggravated

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

Eep! I updated! Writing that Omake a few days ago kind of inspired (or rather, _forced_) me to write a chapter or two. Woohoo!

Now, for a few replies~

**SakuraYuukii:** Yes, I watched Sword Art Online. I really enjoyed it! Now I'm keeping an eye out for the second season. ;D

**Xing:** I ended up searching it out of curiosity. LOL. And as much as I admire that author for managing it, I really want to complete this story in less than 10 years! xD

I also want to thank everyone else who read and reviewed! I always read them all and I'm always eternally grateful to you guys for leaving them!

That said... without further ado, here's a new chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**"Aggravated"**

* * *

"Mmmmm…"

Sakura moaned, mostly in satisfaction. It was good to sleep in her own bed again. Well, in Syaoran's bed again with the man in question next to her. She didn't even realize how used she had gotten to their sleeping arrangements until now.

She had only gotten to pushing herself off the sheets when she felt a pair of strong arms hold her down around her navel.

"Where do you think you're going?" Syaoran murmured from behind.

A giggle escaped her as he pulled her back against his chest and planted a kiss at the back of her neck.

"It's quite late to still be in bed," Sakura said although she too pushed herself even further into his embrace.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly eleven."

"Well damn."

Sakura giggled yet again. Considering the kind of work they had, especially Syaoran, getting up an hour before lunch felt really foreign.

"I'll go take a shower first," she said as she turned to give him a quick peck on the lips.

Syaoran smiled at this and watched her take her leave before pushing himself up, yawning as he did.

That was one of the best sleeps he's had in a while. Not that it was entirely surprising. He always did feel good after spending a good amount of time with Sakura the day previous. Add that to thoroughly making love with her right before bed and it basically means a perfect night that keeps the smile on his face all the way until morning.

Thinking about the night's activities brought back a grin on his face which was unfortunately interrupted by a vibrating sound coming from the night stand on Sakura's side of the bed.

Seeing the vibrating phone with the screen blinking, Syaoran rolled himself over across the bed and took Sakura's phone.

'Tomoyo?' he thought, seeing as she was the only person he knew regularly corresponded with Sakura.

To his surprise however, the name flashing on the screen was a name unfamiliar to him.

"Naoki Morita," he read out, wondering who that could be. Sakura has never mentioned the name before.

A few seconds more of ringing, the call was dropped and to Syaoran's surprise, the missed called logged on the screen after three unread messages which were all sent from the same name.

His brows furrowed.

Was this guy some relative of Sakura's or something? Was there an emergency for him to be sending texts to Sakura and calling her?

Before he could ponder on it further however, his own cell phone had begun ringing as well and he had to roll over to his side of the bed.

* * *

Sakura walked back into Syaoran's room feeling refreshed, wide awake, and hungry.

"Syaoran, I-" she cut off seeing him on his cell.

He held up a finger indicating he'll be with her shortly.

She nodded and proceeded to take out one of his shirts form his closet and wearing it over her damp hair after throwing the towel and bathrobe onto the edge of the bed.

Syaoran cleared his throat, catching her attention.

Wordlessly, he flicked a finger in her direction, motioning for her to come over to him, which she did with a questioning look.

"Yes, have the original copied before filing it. I'll scan them through tomorrow morning," he told whoever it was on the other end of the call before swiftly pulling Sakura onto the bed by the waist and letting her fall across his lap.

She had to stifle her yelp of surprise at this.

Syaoran merely smirked down at her, earning him a smack on his arm.

"I'll deal with that tomorrow… Yes… Yes, schedule it for three in the afternoon."

Smirking at the sudden idea coming to mind, Sakura held herself above Syaoran and starting trailing kisses from his neck and heading south in a slow and sensual manner.

Understanding full well at what she was planning to do however, he immediately held a hand over her mouth, stopping her from going any further than his navel.

To his surprise however, Sakura bit him.

It wasn't a forceful bite enough to leave marks on his skin, but it surprised him enough to let go of her.

In silent laughter now, Sakura quickly moved downwards and away from his reach unless he planned to grab her by the hair.

"I- Yes, I'll give him a call later," Syaoran responded, unable to maintain the complete seriousness in his tone of voice. "I-"

He cut off. Sakura has found her target.

Hearing his loss for words also made her giggle out loud.

Syaoran cleared his throat yet again.

"No, nothing's wrong," he reassured into his cell before looking down at Sakura just as she looked up at him from where she was. "You're in big trouble," he mouthed at her.

She raised an eyebrow at him and tightened her grip.

Syaoran pursed his lips.

This woman will be the death of him. And judging from the smug look on her face, she seemed to know that too.

With a new glint in her eye matched with her widening grin, Sakura was just about to act on her new plan on Syaoran if it weren't for the sound of something vibrating that caught her attention.

Looking over at the night stand, she sighed and reluctantly moved away from Syaoran to take the gadget.

'Naoki,' she read in her head, hardly surprised. 'Why would he be calling?' Not that she planned on answering. Although he had been contacting her ever since her visit to Tomoeda a couple of days ago, it had increased lately and it was hardly unnoticeable. She felt bad enough spending the kind of time she did with the Moritas when she was away from Syaoran, it would only make her feel worse if she were to answer a call from the man in front of him.

She let her cell vibrate a few more seconds until it finally dropped. And to her surprise, there were a number of logged unread messages and another missed call as well.

Sakura stole a glance at Syaoran and found him already looking at her.

Smiling, she shook her head before turning off her cell phone and putting it back on the night stand.

A lot of good it will do for her if Syaoran found out about the Moritas or how and why she knew them in the first place.

* * *

"Tai, I need you to look this name up for me."

The older woman held her hand out to Syaoran as he handed her a small piece of paper.

"Should I do a full background check, sir?"

Syaoran thought about this for a few seconds before shaking his head. It was bad enough he felt suspicious of Sakura, if this turned out to be nothing, he'll just end up cursing himself.

"No, just the usual. It's nothing official, just a personal interest. Once you have the data, hand it to me personally."

Tai bowed in understanding. "Will that be all?"

"For now," he said and settled onto his desk chair.

It had been weeks since Syaoran read the name "Naoki Morita" from Sakura's cell phone and since that day, he'd caught Sakura on her phone more than what he thought was usual for her. He wasn't exactly suspicious of anything, but he was, however, very curious.

He shrugged off his long coat and took off his scarf and threw them over the back of the couch in his office. It was getting really cold since winter had officially come. His office felt even colder now without Sakura next to him. It was unnerving but not in a bad way, in Syaoran's opinion. He spent almost every single free moment of his time with Sakura that it felt almost natural to have her next to him whenever and wherever. He can't even imagine what his life was like before they got together. They had been together for roughly half a year now and he really can't imagine losing her. Nor did he want to even think about losing her.

"Marriage, huh…" he muttered under his breath rather unconsciously as he recalled his conversation with Eriol in this very office months ago.

His family had been pestering him over the years about marriage. Whenever they catch it in the news or from gossip magazines about him and any other lady rumored to be with him, they'd always meddle in and hint on the prospects of marriage. Actually, this was the first time they hadn't been hounding him about it. Probably they knew that he was actually serious with Sakura? She was, after all, the only girl regularly reported to being around and with him. Even the paparazzi have died down the past few weeks from nothing newsworthy to report. After taking shots of him and Sakura at events and shot of them entering his home, they've grown tired. They can only do so much with the same type of photos after all.

Syaoran couldn't help but smile.

"Marriage," he found himself muttering yet again.

* * *

"Sakura?" Tomoyo said yet again, this time in a louder voice.

Sakura finally snapped out of her blank gaze to look at her best friend. "Yeah?"

"You've been out of it for the past few days. Are you okay?" she inquired worriedly and handed her a fresh cup of tea before sitting next to her on her sofa. Sakura had opted to spend time with her in Tomoyo's apartment after they got off work.

"I'm fine," she said somewhat unconvincingly before her cell phone vibrated.

The two women turned to look at it.

Sakura almost winced as she took the small gadget from the coffee table.

"Naoki," she announced rather exasperatedly before tossing the phone back onto the table.

Tomoyo giggled. "You don't like him, do you?" she asked, making the brunette look back at her with a guilty expression. "Its fine, I understand. I mean, you're with Syaoran after all. It's only natural to not find the company of other men enjoyable, especially men who are quite obviously vying for your attention."

"He's been messaging and calling me _even more_ frequently lately. It's been weeks since we got back from Tomoeda but he's only gotten more persistent," Sakura sighed. "He's even been hinting that he wants to come to Tokyo."

"Oh? Does he even have a reason for coming all the way here?"

Sakura shook her head. "But somehow, I won't be surprised if he can come up with some reason or another."

This made Tomoyo somewhat guilty. Her conversation with the older Morita was still fresh in her mind. She had never told Sakura of what Nao told her and she figured it was unnecessary seeing as she couldn't even imagine Sakura agreeing to it. Just looking at how tired she was of dealing with Naoki at the moment was proof enough of that.

"So what do you plan to do with him?"

"I honestly have no clue. I've just been humoring him mostly. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not faking or anything. He's a decent guy, our conversations are quite engaging, it's just the way he approaches me. I can't exactly say I'm comfortable with it, you know? But it is true, I'm still kind of hopeful that he can get his father to reconsider if I get close enough to ask that kind of favor. It's not getting any easier though. Naoki's making everything so difficult. I really have no intention of being any else than friends but he just keeps on pushing."

"Maybe you should j-" Tomoyo cut off as, yet again, Sakura's cell phone vibrated. This wasn't the usual double pulsing which occurred from a text though. The cell phone on the table was rattling against the wood continuously.

"There it is," Sakura said in an unsurprised but tired voice. "He's been calling me once a day on weekdays and at twice on weekends lately," she informed Tomoyo before resignedly picking up her cell and moving to the entryway of the apartment to take the call. "This won't take long."

"Don't worry about it," Tomoyo told her and went back to the bathroom. She probably didn't spend more than five minutes in their before she came out and already Sakura was back on the couch and this time her face looked even more troubled than it had been earlier. "Sakura?"

She looked at Tomoyo desperately. "He's coming to Tokyo!"

"Ehhh? What in the world for?!"

* * *

"You can't come? Why?" Syaoran asked, surprised. This was the first time Sakura had ever turned him down. There was a scheduled dinner party the day after tomorrow and he had already confirmed his and Sakura's attendance more than a week ago.

"An old friend of my dad and his son are coming to Tokyo. They'll only be staying for two days and I agreed to accompany them while they're here. They don't come to the city often so I thought it was only right. They were really nice to me when I went to visit Tomoeda too," she explained.

"I see. Well, I understand I suppose. It's just that this is all short notice."

"They only told me about their visit yesterday. I wanted to tell you last night but you made it difficult for me to tell you _anything_," she said with a raised brow.

Syaoran couldn't help but grin cheekily back at her as he held her closer against him under the sheets.

"Hey, you should be getting ready. Snow's started piling lately. We can't afford to fool around in the mornings anymore," Sakura scolded although halfheartedly. "We only barely got into the office in time yesterday."

He merely shrugged at this. "I'm my own boss and I say its fine."

"Well, I'm not my own boss."

"I'm your boss and I say its fine."

"You own the company, but my boss is a forty nine year old woman by the name of Hizumi Iwa. So, shoo shoo!" With that, she swatted Syaoran to let her go.

"That hurts."

Sakura looked at him pointedly but he maintained his hurt expression. If other people saw him now, they'd probably keel over in shock. The great Li Xiao Lang, the CEO of Li Corp. was putting up a face like that was something between a hurt child and an abandoned puppy.

Sure she had seen it a handful of times before when he and Syaoran were goofing around. That doesn't mean she's immune to it though.

She rolled her eyes but an undeniable smile was on her lips.

"Let's shower together to save time," she suggested.

This made Syaoran chuckle.

* * *

Sakura rubbed her palms together to generate heat before stuffing them back inside her coat pockets. It was her mistake. She should've chosen a meeting place elsewhere, anywhere with a heater. But when she left the office earlier, it hadn't been all that cold. Now it had started to snow albeit lightly and the temperature had also dropped along with it. She was about to just call Naoki to tell him they should meet up elsewhere but his voice cut into the cold air before she could even take out her cell phone from her purse.

"Sakura-san!"

The sound of her first name being called startled her. Naoki had insisted on her calling him by his first name as opposed to "Morita-san" since it confused him with his father and had also since decided (by himself) to use her first name in return.

But at that moment, Sakura didn't much care. She was actually quite relieved. She had arrived a couple minutes early than originally planned but he was here so it didn't matter. When their eyes met, he started jogging towards her… alone.

"Huh? Where's Morita-san?" she inquired, referring to Naoki's father. Although she hadn't heard from the older man personally, Naoki had told her that the father and son pair was visiting together since they intended to meet with a business friend of theirs in Tokyo.

Naoki grinned sheepishly at this. "He couldn't make it. Work was piling up and we can't both be away together so he's holding up the fort while I'm gone."

Sakura didn't say anything to this. Personally, it didn't matter to her that she ended up with just Naoki as a companion but what immediately went to her head was Syaoran. Sure she knew nothing was going on between her and Naoki, but no one else knew of that. She has had her photo taken enough and had been researched often enough by the paparazzi in the past months for them to know who she was down to her quirks. If they somehow see her with Naoki alone together, nothing good will come out of it for sure. And what would happen if Syaoran found out that way?

She bit her lip.

"Sakura-san?"

"Ah, it's nothing. We can talk about it later," she replied hastily. "Let's just go ahead into one of the restaurants. I chose this place to meet because there are quite a lot of popular ones in this street alone."

"I actually passed by a nice looking restaurant on my way here."

"Lead the way."

It wasn't a long walk.

Apparently the nice looking restaurant Naoki meant was actually a very classy traditional Japanese one. Although they were indeed in Japan, the boom of Italian, Thai, French and other restaurants which boomed lately meant that Sakura hadn't had a traditional Japanese meal in a while.

There were several tables scattered about the main room but there were also a lot of sliding doors that Sakura only assumed lead to larger and more private rooms.

Naoki was talking to one of the attendants wearing a kimono for a while before they were finally led to a table. The table, unfortunately, was one of the corner ones. It wasn't exactly private, but it had a degree of seclusion to it compared to the other tables she had seen upon entering the restaurant.

Resignedly, Sakura took a seat. It was only dinner. What harm could it do really?

* * *

"Soooo…" Eriol said, somewhat teasing. "It's just you and me again tonight, eh?"

Syaoran ignored him and instead nodded to the man on his left who had poured saké into his cup. He raised it in thanks before downing it.

"Dr. Hiiragizawa, have a drink too!" said the man on Eriol's right.  
"This place is known for their saké you know."

Eriol politely held up his own cup and went on to pour some for the man as well before he turned back to Syaoran. The dinner party had flown past rather quickly that night. They were in a very large room with four tables connected to form a square with its occupants (almost entirely men save for three or four women) situated around it. Most of them were also partially drunk. They may be businessmen with much higher ranks than those of regular people, but that didn't mean they were barred from life's simple pleasures. And that included getting drunk on a Friday night after a long week of work. This especially held true to the older gentleman in attendance.

Inwardly, Syaoran was slightly grateful that Sakura couldn't make it. Only slightly though. The main reason why he couldn't fully enjoy himself at the moment was because of her lack of presence.

"Syaoran, lighten up already," Eriol said and nudged him lightly.

"You were sulking more openly just minutes ago," Syaoran finally said.

Eriol shrugged. "It's because Tomoyo never comes to these kinds of things with me. We dated far longer than you and Sakura but Sakura's been to more functions than Tomoyo. It's depressing."

"Doesn't she go with you often to gatherings with your colleagues at the hospital?"

"Yeah, those are mostly the only ones she willingly goes to. That's why she and Sakura still haven't found out about us. I rarely come to these kinds of parties where you're around and when I do, she isn't interested. It's like she has Syaoran-senses or something and she purposely avoids it," he said very exaggeratedly. "I'm about to just tell her outright to get things over with."

"You do that," Syaoran said unhelpfully.

It didn't matter much to him.

If anything, it would probably more convenient. If the girls found out the nature of their relationship, it would most likely just bring them closer… of course, after the initial shock and betrayed feelings of not knowing the truth. This was what- Syaoran was sure –the reason why Eriol never outright told Tomoyo. He had been waiting for an opportunity to make a "believable" scenario happen where in they all uncover the truth as if they were all clueless and that it were all an act of fate.

"So why's Sakura not here tonight anyway?" Eriol asked as a change of topic from the previous far more depressing one.

"She has visitors from home."

"Visitors? Didn't you tell me before that she almost had no one else to talk to besides Tomoyo?"

"They're friends of her dad."

"And you're okay with that?"

Syaoran raised a brow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you were the one who was completely paranoid about her and a certain male senior when she went back to her hometown."

This surprised Syaoran. He hadn't thought of that. But that was only because Sakura specifically told him it was her dad's friend and that friend's son. She never said anything about a senior so the possibility never even crossed his mind. If anything, what he envisioned was an older man and his kid who probably wants to sight-see around Tokyo.

It was Eriol's turn to raise a brow at him. "I'm amazed," he said in an exaggerated and awed voice. Syaoran looked at him in question. "Sakura must have returned your faith in women. I never thought I'd see the day where you'd trust a woman to this degree ever again."

Syaoran snorted.

"It's true. No way would you think calmly about this situation if it was the old you. You were always suspicious about something or another."

No reply.

Eriol still had a rather smug look on his face but he didn't comment on it further to save his friend's pride. He didn't want to shake Syaoran's resolve for being with Sakura either. Regardless of the many suspicions that roused him in about her, he still found her existence to be an indispensible one for Syaoran.

"I'm going to the toilet."

"Thanks for the announcement," he retorted sarcastically, making Eriol laugh.

* * *

This was not good. Was God playing a trick on her? Or did she just have the most rotten luck in the world?

Sakura blinked probably around a gazillion times now, as if willing her eyes to change what it was seeing.

But it was undeniable. The man not a long ways away from her was indeed there and he was now grinning and heading his way over to her.

"Sakura!" Eriol called out over the noise of the other patrons in the busy restaurant.

She raised her hand slightly to wave at him in a rather meek manner.

"So you came after all?"

This question didn't do her nerves any good. The way he phrased it meant that the dinner party she was supposed to be attending was in this very restaurant.

Eriol gave her a wondering look as she visibly paled before his eyes landed on the empty table behind her filled with empty plates and glasses.

"Oh? Did you dine here?" he asked, surprised.

"Err… Yes. A family friend came to visit Tokyo and I accompanied him tonight."

"I see. Well, don't let me hold you up from your-"

"Sakura-san, sorry to keep you waiting. I've got it here," Naoki had reappeared and this time was holding up a paper bag filled with food he intended to bring back for his father. "Oh, hello?" he added when he spotted Eriol looking at him.

"-date?" Eriol finished, his brows raised and his head cocked to the side as he looked at Naoki curiously.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Okay, so things are gonna progress faster from here on in. All for a reason of course.

I hope you enjoyed this- very late -update! The next chapter is also already written. It just lacks a little something but I should be able to upload it soon.

Also, if you guys are readers of my other story **Lies and Love** and are bored out of your mind, feel free to join the challenge I just started. The details of which I just put up in the last chapter of that story. So go ahead and check it out. :)

See you guys soon!

**Raeny**


	14. Turn About

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**"Turn About"**

* * *

"No!" Sakura interjected loudly. When the word escaped from his mouth, it was in barely a whisper but Sakura caught it and she definitely didn't want Eriol of all people to misunderstand.

Naoki looked at Sakura in surprise at her outburst.

"Ah… Err… Uhmm… N-Naoki san, this is Eriol Hiiragizawa. A… A…" What was Eriol to her? She felt like it would be rather rude to introduce him as her acquaintance. She also felt that introducing him as her friend was a bit presumptuous of her too. But then she couldn't possibly introduce him as her "boyfriend's best friend" either considering Naoki didn't know of Syaoran's existence.

"Friend," Eriol finished for her and held out his hand which Naoki took.

"Yes, friend," she repeated with a nervous laugh. "Uhmm… Eriol, this is Naoki Morita, a family friend. He's the son of one of my father's closest friends from Tomoeda." That sounded okay, didn't it? It didn't sound as if she were defending herself, right?

Naoki looked at Sakura in surprise at the lengthened explanation she gave regarding his identity before he looked back at Eriol. "I'm also her senior back in college," he said. He felt that it was more of a reason to meet with her than being the son of Sakura's father's friend.

Eriol had an even more surprised look on his face this time which Sakura noticed but didn't understand.

"Err… Yes," she agreed in a small voice.

"I see."

It was awkward. Well, for Sakura it was. The two men were looking at each other. Eriol looked curious, where as Naoki looked like he was assessing Eriol quite thoroughly in his head and Sakura can only guess why. A normal and healthy woman would surely have some kind of admiration for a guy like Eriol, considering how attractive the man was. At least, a normal, healthy and _single_ woman surely would.

This was getting out of hand.

Eriol seemed to notice the distressed air about Sakura though for he immediately plastered a good natured smile on his face.

"Well, I better get back to my party," he said with a slight bow of his head.

"Yes, nice to meet you Hiiragizawa-san."

"Likewise, Morita-san."

Naoki stepped out of the way to have Sakura walk ahead first but she was still looking at Eriol rather worriedly.

"We'll talk another time," he said reassuringly to Sakura.

She wasn't entirely convinced of this. If Syaoran was indeed in that restaurant, it was only proper for her, as his girlfriend, to at least drop by and say hello or something even if she had present company.

"Sakura-san?" Naoki asked, looking at her expectantly.

"Ah, yes. I… I'll see you later Eriol," she said in a small voice and a bow before leading the way towards the main entrance of the restaurant.

Eriol watched as the pair made their way towards the exit and only moved until they disappeared completely.

This was an interesting twist of events. He wanted to give Sakura the benefit of a doubt but he was still first and foremost Syaoran's best friend. If he were in Syaoran's position, he'd definitely want to know things like this especially if it concerned the woman he loved.

He silently made his way back to their private room which by now had gotten livelier. The men who had been sober earlier on were starting to get tipsy as well. His eyes landed on Syaoran who was sitting there, chatting with a few of the men who were trying to convince him to drink more and telling him that he should enjoy liquor more at his age.

"Ah, thank you," Eriol said with a grin as one of the men handed Eriol a new bottle of saké as he passed by.

"About time you got back," Syaoran said in barely a whisper when he finally retook his seat. "With you here, at least they won't just focus on getting me drunk."

Indeed, they were now shouting down Eriol to start drinking as well. These kinds of dinner parties were the ones Syaoran wished Sakura would attend the most. If he had a female companion, he had a reason not to drink and it would also keep the other men from drinking too carelessly.

The lack of women tonight was definitely the reason why things were getting out of hand more than usual.

"Syaoran," Eriol said in a more serious tone as soon as the men calmed down after they saw him take a swig of saké.

Syaoran looked at him, surprised at the look on his face.

"I saw Sakura outside." The immediate look of pleasure that crossed Syaoran's features was so obvious. Eriol would normally tease him about this but it wasn't exactly the time to do so. "She already left," he added quickly before he got his hopes up.

"Why didn't you tell-"

"She wasn't here alone," he explained. Syaoran had told him earlier that Sakura had visitors from home. Visitor_s_. Plural. What he saw earlier was definitely in the singular though. To make matters worse, it was most likely that Naoki Morita was the exact same senior Syaoran had told him weeks ago when he told Eriol about Sakura being with male senior when she visited her hometown.

"She should've dropped by though," Syaoran said, cutting Eriol's train of depressing thoughts. "Did you tell her that I was here?"

"Not exactly," he said and Syaoran immediately took on an annoyed expression. "And anyway, as we spoke, I'm pretty sure she got the hint that you were here. Anyway, more importantly… Syaoran, does the name Naoki Morita ring any bell?"

This surprised him and effectively got his more serious attention. That name definitely did ring a bell. After all, he just had one of his secretaries look up that exact same name the other day.

"Why? And why do you know that name?"

Though he didn't exactly what, he knew something was definitely up. This wasn't hard for Eriol to conclude. This also strengthened his resolve to tell Syaoran about earlier.

"Sakura had only one companion earlier. His name was Naoki Morita…"

* * *

"_I have it all ready sir."_

"Good. How many did it come down to?"

"_Only six are left. Four in Tokyo and two in different neighboring towns."_

"Okay, keep the others but I want you to fax those over to my residence right now."

"_Understood."_

Syaoran ended the call and tossed his cell phone onto the couch next to him.

His conversation with Eriol from last night did nothing for him but worry. Eriol said that Sakura was with Naoki Morita last night and that he was supposedly the son of Sakura's father's friend. But why were they alone together? And why didn't Sakura just come in and introduce the man to him and vice versa if she knew that he himself was just in the next room? Was she hiding his existence on purpose? And to make matters worse (in Syaoran's opinion), Eriol had said that Naoki Morita looked to be about their age and wasn't exactly bad looking.

Sakura wasn't cheating on him, was she?

This thought made Syaoran irritated at himself. He had never doubted Sakura and she had never given him a reason to. Well, until now. She had contacted him last night though and told him that she'll be staying at her own apartment for the night since she was to take her companion to the station after lunch.

Syaoran glanced at his watch. He had a few hours to kill until he would meet Sakura in the afternoon. He was about to just read the morning paper but the beeping followed by buzzing of the fax machine caught his attention.

Tai, indeed, worked fast.

He went over to the machine and watched as paper after paper continued to quickly print information until it stopped after 18 pages.

Syaoran grabbed the stack and quickly started to rifle through them.

Three of the Naoki Moritas were in there 40s to 50s and one was a grade schooler. The two left were a 29 and 30 year old respectively but Syaoran was already sure who he was looking for just from his place of address.

"Tomoeda," he read out and took out the three pages with the man's information before discarding the rest onto the nearest table.

Syaoran read through the file rather quickly and as he did so, it only made him surer that he was the Naoki Morita that Sakura was with last night. His educational background showed the same college as Sakura which also proved what Eriol said about him probably being the same senior she was with from her last visit to Tomoeda.

He didn't find anything else suspicious at all. The man was an assistant manager at a bank which is run by his father and his father's father before that. The birth date of his father, Nao Morita, was probably around the age of Sakura's father which made it unsurprising if he was indeed friends with the late Fujitaka Kinomoto. Not that Syaoran suspected that Sakura was lying about that piece of information.

That still didn't answer some of the questions nagging at him though.

Why hadn't Sakura just introduced them last night? What did she have to hide? Even if the person who came to visit ended up with just the son instead of the father and son pair she had told Syaoran, he wouldn't have minded and wouldn't have been as suspicious as he was now if she just told him.

* * *

"Thank you," Tomoyo gave the money she had prepared and gave it to the young delivery boy before closing the door to her apartment.

"Again, I'm sorry for the short notice Tomoyo," Sakura apologized from the living room sofa.

Tomoyo shook her head and brought the large pizza box over to the table.

"As long as you don't mind pizza for lunch, it's really fine."

She still looked apologetic but helped by refilling both their glasses with juice from the jug they had prepared earlier on.

"Thanks for this."

The two women both started eating in silence with Tomoyo throwing worried glances at Sakura every so often. Indeed she was surprised by her friend's sudden appearance outside of her apartment, but as to why she was there, she didn't know nor did Sakura show any indication of telling her. She thought Sakura was going to have lunch with Naoki before he left for Tomoeda but that didn't seem the case.

Sakura took another quiet bite form her slice of pizza before falling back against the sofa.

"I've come to a resolution," she suddenly said. This perked Tomoyo up quickly. She couldn't stand the silence anymore. "I'm stopping… whatever this is, with Naoki."

This relieved Tomoyo considerably and it surprised her. She didn't even know that she had been worried to this degree about the situation between Sakura and the assistant manager.

"What made you come to that?"

"Yesterday," Sakura admitted. "I met up with Syaoran's best friend while I was out having dinner with Naoki. Apparently Syaoran was in that restaurant too. I knew I should've gone to see him but I didn't. I thought that it would ruin getting into Naoki's good books if he found out I had a boyfriend especially in that manner."

Tomoyo nodded in understanding at this and motioned for her to continue.

"I was racked with guilt all night. I'm still guilty now actually. What if Syaoran's best friend tells Syaoran about last night? What if Syaoran misunderstands? I mean, I told him I'll be with my dad's old friend and his son but instead I was caught by his best friend with a man who admitted to being my senior back in school. What if he also told Syaoran that? What if he gets suspicious and accuses me of cheating? He'll break up with me for sure. I mean, who wouldn't, right?"

Sakura was rambling quite hysterically now and Tomoyo didn't know whether to be worried or happy. She was obviously so taken with Syaoran to get worried to this degree and this thought pleased her.

"Calm down, Sakura. Syaoran hadn't contacted you about it?"

She shook her head. "But I'll be surprised if he doesn't know. You should meet his best friend Tomoyo. He's nice and all but how can I say this… he has this… mischievous aura about him," she explained with an involuntary shiver.

Tomoyo giggled at this but didn't say anything. It was as if she was describing her Eriol. She couldn't help but smile at the thought. She still couldn't wait until Sakura and Eriol met. But then with everything that's been going on lately, that had to take a back seat.

"So anyway," Sakura continued in a calmer tone now, "I thought about it all night and… as much as I don't want my dad's money to be wasted on who knows what if I don't inherit it, I'll have to give up on it."

This caught Tomoyo's attention. "So you're giving up on the money?"

Sakura had a look of sadness on her face but she gave a determined nod.

"If I end up getting on bad terms with Syaoran just so I can get it, I'd rather not have it. I don't want to lose Syaoran. The possibility of losing him hit me so hard yesterday and I can't bear it. I-" she cut off as Tomoyo practically jumped on her for a tight and reassuring hug.

"Oh Sakura, I'm so happy to hear you say that!" she said almost teary eyed. "I mean, I'll stick by you with whatever you decide to do but this time I can support this decision and I can personally say that I think it's the right thing to do! Is that why you didn't have lunch with Naoki today?"

"Yeah, I told him I had plans to meet up with my boyfriend. I didn't tell him who my boyfriend was but I was being clear that I had one."

"I can only imagine how shocked he was."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle. "He really was. It even made me guiltier when he started apologizing and saying that it was his fault for not asking me first whether I had a boyfriend or not. I was thinking of sending something like a fruitcake to him and Morita-san as a Christmas gift and a sort of apology."

* * *

"I love you," Syaoran said against her soft honey colored tresses and kissed the top of her head.

Sakura snuggled closer against him and kissed the base of his neck. "I love you too," she replied and turned to look up at him. "Are you okay?"

He nodded mutely.

It was in the middle of the afternoon and it was snowing nonstop outside as seen from the glass wall of Syaoran's bedroom where the curtains were drawn.

Earlier- before they thoroughly made love with each other -Sakura had come to his apartment and the moment she had, she was already telling him about what happened the previous night without him having to ask. And he was grateful for it. He could tell that she had been worried about it from the tone of her voice and this only proved to him of her actual feelings for him. This also made him realize his own feelings for her as well.

He can't live without her.

Sure, he had already felt this way for months now. But after this kind of thing happened, it made him realize all the more just how much Sakura weighed in his life. He can't even bear the thought of losing her to anyone. No, he can't bear the thought of losing her. Period.

"Be mine forever," he added in the lowest possible voice.

But Sakura heard him.

"Of course."

* * *

In no time, it was Christmas Eve.

Sakura was standing in the middle of Syaoran's living room and was gazing at the crackling fire inside the fire place as he waited for him. They were scheduled to attend some kind of Christmas gala hosted by one of Li Corp.'s business partners.

She was dressed in snow white gown with matching silver heels. The gown was styled quite simply compared to the other evening gowns Syaoran had her wear in previous functions but this one was probably the most intricately detailed seeing as there were tiny shining diamonds or probably rhinestones- Sakura couldn't tell for sure but if she knew Syaoran, it was most like actual diamonds –embedded onto the smooth fabric in several well placed areas.

"You look gorgeous as usual," Syaoran's voice suddenly said from right behind her before his strong arms snaked around her waist.

"Thank you," she whispered back before turning around to have a good look on him.

There was something about Syaoran and suits that she just couldn't place. Men barely got it easy considering they were limited on what they could wear to dress up compared to girls who had a variety to choose from. But Syaoran somehow never looked the same every time even if what he wore were suits.

His attire for the night was a sleek jet black 3-piece suite matched with a thin snow white tie, diamond encrusted cufflinks, and black Italian leather shoes.

"You look handsome as usual," she complimented.

He grinned rather boyishly before giving her a peck on the lips. "Ready to go?"

"Mhmm… Where exactly is the party held?"

"1010," he answered immediately, referring to one of the tallest skyscrapers in the heart of Tokyo, not far from Syaoran's place.

"Oh?" This was a surprise. As far as she knew, that building was an office building for the most part, save for a couple of restaurants and other establishments in different floors.

"I know the owner," he added, as if this explained everything.

"Of course, you do," Sakura said, rolling her eyes and laughing.

* * *

_Dear Mr. Hashimoto,_

_Thank you for all the care you've shown all this time._

_I am truly grateful for everything._

_I hope you and your family will have a very Merry Christmas!_

– _Sakura Kinomoto –_

Kentaro read the card and set it down before opening the box that came with it.

"Fruit cake," he said quite happily when he saw the contents. The person who delivered the package had told him to make sure to put it in the refrigerator so he had to open it just to check even if it was only the eve before Christmas. "You have a very kindhearted daughter, Fujitaka."

* * *

The elevator gave a loud ding before the doors opened, revealing a large and dimly lit restaurant. There weren't many tables but each table had a lit candle and all sorts of decorations in the middle.

Sakura looked around as Syaoran led her across the floor and she could tell from the dishes and the way the customers and even the waiters were attired that this restaurant was very high class.

But why were they there?

She was about to voice this question but a man had gestured to Syaoran and Sakura into a room at the end of the floor which he had held open.

There was a screen divider that covered the room from the outside the moment they entered and Syaoran had maneuvered for Sakura to follow him as he led her inside.

The sight took her breath away.

The room wasn't altogether too large. It could probably hold four or six more tables like that of the main room but right now, there was only a singular table covered with an immaculate white cloth. The area around and above the table had a sheer white cloth draped around it, giving the scene a rather ethereal look about it. There were several small candles on stands around the room with the largest one lit in the middle of the table where it was surrounded by thistles and fresh rose petals in red and white. There were also rose petals and actual roses across the floor as well.

"Oh," was the only reaction Sakura could manage as she took this entire scene in. It was beautiful and magical.

"Do you like it?" he asked while two men in uniforms appeared out of nowhere and assisted them with their coats.

"Syaoran, it's beautiful," she said rather breathlessly. "But… What happened to the gala? Weren't we supposed to-?"

He cut her off by planting a chaste kiss on her lips yet again for that night.

"I wanted to spend this time with you alone. Is that okay?"

Sakura smiled brightly. "I'm not complaining."

He chuckled and helped her to her seat.

Three walls of the room- save for the one where the door they had come through –were made of glass which revealed the snowy night sky and the blinking lights of the bright city below.

"You really know how to make a girl feel special," Sakura said just as a number of waiters made their entrance with their appetizers.

"I only know how to make _you_ special," he corrected with a grin.

The evening went on very nicely.

They talked, and laughed, and even kissed often in between all the while they went through the course of meals Syaoran had planned earlier on which mostly comprised Sakura's favorite dishes.

When it was nearing midnight, a waiter came in with a trolley which held a dish covered by a silver domed lid as well as a new wine bottle and two new tall glasses.

Sakura watched as he opened the bottle to pour wine into the glasses for them both before placing the wine bottle in the iced bucket that held the unfinished bottle they had earlier.

Before he could leave, Sakura immediately motioned for him to come closer to her so she could whisper something to him.

He bowed and took his leave.

"What was that about?"

Sakura smiled at him. "I thought this would be the best time as any to give you your Christmas present," she admitted. It was nearing midnight and looked like the waiter was about to serve them their desert so she figured this was the only time she can give her gift to him.

Before Syaoran could say anything, the waiter had returned which greatly impressed Sakura. He was fast.

He placed the square package which he had taken from Sakura's coat by her orders in front of Syaoran before leaving the room once again.

"Can I open it?"

"If you must," Sakura said with a smile. "It isn't much though, just so you know."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll love it," he said as he started to tear open the wrapping with enthusiasm. This was, after all, the first material thing he had ever received from Sakura.

It was a jewelry box with a familiar brand's logo embossed at the top. When he opened it, it revealed a band as thick as that of a wrist watch made of mostly gold with a few parts of silver. It wasn't plain, neither was it fancy to make it suit a woman. He took it out of the case to look at it closer. It had elaborate grooves and markings that spanned the entire band making it look quite classy but quite obviously suited for a man.

"Look closer," Sakura suggested in a slightly nervous voice.

He did as she said and the engraved words inside the band suddenly became a lot more obvious.

_To the man who owns my heart… to you who have taken hold of my mind, body, and soul… to my Little Wolf… _I LOVE YOU_ forever and always._

This was all written in Chinese save for the "I LOVE YOU forever and always" as well as the unmistakable and intricately drawn cherry blossom flower engraved at the end.

"Do you like it?" Sakura asked after some time of silence between them.

Syaoran stood up and walked over to her side of the table to give her a deep kiss to show her just how much he loved the gift.

"Very much. Thank you," he said with a smile before he handed the band to her and held out his wrist.

Sakura looked slightly puzzled at his left wrist which already had his watch.

"So when I look at my wrist, I won't only be reminded of the time, but also of you," he confessed.

This made her blush but she smiled in understanding before locking the band next to his watch.

He gave her another kiss before he returned to his seat.

"Can I give you something now as well?"

This surprised Sakura. After the night's events, she already considered this dinner and the preparations it took as her Christmas gift.

"You don't have to Syaoran," said Sakura as she gestured around her. "You've already done so much for me."

Syaoran nodded at the dish which still had the food cover over it on the trolley next to their table, slightly closer to Sakura than Syaoran. She thought the waiter had forgotten about it since she asked him to step out while he was in the middle of presenting their final meal.

She leaned over to pull back the silver dome and when she did, her eyes widened.

In the middle of the plate underneath it wasn't their final meal for the night, but a small velvet box with its lid already open and a large, square-cut diamond ring resting inside its white cushions.

Sakura dropped the food cover on the table as quietly as she could before she held her hands up slowly to her face.

"I know I don't have to," Syaoran suddenly said in a soft tone, continuing Sakura's statement form earlier. "But I want to… If you'll let me." He left his seat once again to take the box in his own hands before he got down on one knee next to her. "Sakura, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

As those words left his lips, her tears escaped her. Her breathing had grown erratic and her mind had gone blank, but one word stuck in her brain and she was determined to say it no matter what.

"Yes," she choked out emotionally to which Syaoran took her left hand into his and slipped the ring into her ring finger where it fit perfectly.

Sakura stared at the ring feeling out of sorts. This wasn't a dream was it? If it was, she never wanted to wake up… ever.

"I love you," she managed to whisper somehow just as Syaoran got back onto his feet.

"And I love you," he responded by kissing the top of her engagement-ring clad hand. "Forever and always," Syaoran added with a smile.

"Forever and always," Sakura agreed and stood up to wrap her arms around his neck before kissing him on the lips once again.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hoo-rah! Writing about Christmas in the middle of summer! Talk about out of season.

...

But oh well! I hope you guys enjoyed this regardless.

On to more exciting news... _*drum roll*_ I finished **Mending Mistakes**. Mwahahah! Are you impressed? 'Cause I am! I can sing, cry, and flip all the tables in my house right now.

There are a a couple of details I feel like I have to add or change in the last two chapters though since I'm not completely satisfied with how it is at the moment _but_ _still,_ it's DONE. Took me forever but I actually managed to do it. Writing that Omake really did help. Once I wrote that, I wrote one chapter afterwards, then everything else just kinda steamrollered in after it. I did spend most of my week on writing it though.

But just because I finished writing it doesn't mean the rest of the chapters are ready for uploading! I need to fine tune the details and of course, proof read... which I don't feel like doing at the moment (or any time soon). Just saying. I feel so lazy now knowing this has been completed.

Please drop me a review or two for this hardworking author if you would be so kind~ _*curtsies*_

For now, Ja ne!

**Raeny**


	15. Express

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

Okay, some people seem to be confused as to what I said in my author's note in the previous chapter for some reason.

Let me clarify, I FINISHED WRITING this story, yes... BUT I haven't finished UPLOADING all the chapters yet.

You'll know if it's the end because there'll be a distinct "_**- THE END -**_" at the bottom when that happens (like all my other stories).

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**"Express"**

* * *

"_Engaged?!"_

"_Engaged?!"_

Sakura and Syaoran simultaneously held their cell phones away from their ears. They looked at each other and laughed.

It was Christmas morning and they were in Syaoran's place. Sakura was preparing coffee in the dining area while Syaoran was on the counter, sitting on a stool while he read the day's paper.

"I'll take this in the bedroom," Sakura mouthed to Syaoran before giving him a peck on the lips. She didn't want to disturb Syaoran's conversation with Eriol, and she thought it was only safe to have her conversation with Tomoyo in private.

Syaoran watched as she made her way down the hallway until he heard the door of his bedroom shut close behind her.

"Yes, engaged."

"_Are you joking? If you're joking, this isn't a very nice joke. It's Christmas, not April Fools'."_

He rolled his eyes at this. "It's snowing outside, I'm well aware that it's Christmas."

"_Wow… Engaged…"_

"Is it really that surprising?"

"_Well, not really, especially with how you've been with Sakura. It felt like it's bound to happen eventually. I just didn't expect for it to happen this soon."_

"If it feels right, it's right."

"_I don't want to hear that from you. Not a year ago, you thought women weren't worth your time."_

Syaoran shrugged and didn't say anything. He knew this could hardly be helpful since Eriol couldn't even see his reaction but he knew Eriol knew what he was thinking anyway.

"_But surprise aside, congratulations."_

"Thanks," he replied and couldn't help but grin at himself. "I was worried she might say no seeing as it was all so sudden."

"_Looking at the two of you, it'd be more surprising if she had said no. So, when's the wedding?"_

"I only got engaged _yesterday,_ Eriol."

"_True. Huh… Engaged… Had she been hinting to you that she wanted to marry you?"_

This question was a surprise. "No, should she?"

"_I don't know, was just wondering. What made you want to be engaged anyway?"_

"After that incident at the restaurant."

"_Good Lord, you got engaged out of insecurity?!"_

Syaoran rolled his eyes at the incredulous tone Eriol had. "No, of course not. Who would want to get engaged with that kind of reason? It's just that the incident made me realize I can't do without her anymore. I did feel uneasy that time, but after it happened, it made me realize that she really is the woman I want to spend my life with. I've been considering marriage earlier on but this incident just sealed the deal for me. And I didn't see a reason for me to hold back and wait when I knew exactly what I wanted to do."

As he said this. He was met with silence. Syaoran had to look at the screen of his cell to check if the call was still open.

"What's with the silence?"

"_You."_

"What about it?"

"_I never thought I'd live to see the day where you'd talk like a lovesick school boy."_

"Goodbye Eriol."

"_Wait!"_

"Oh, and Merry Christmas. That's the main reason why I called. See ya."

"_Merry Christmas! And wait! I have something else to say."_

"What is it?"

"_Ask Sakura for me whether she prefers policemen or firemen."_

"Huh? Why?" he asked, bewildered at this random request.

"For the stripper I'll be hiring for her bachelorette party! It'll be my wedding gift. Tell her I-"

Eriol's voice cut off as Syaoran ended the call.

* * *

_"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh…"_

Sakura waited as Tomoyo continued her trail of "Oh my gosh" which lasted until she settled herself on the edge of Syaoran's bed.

_"Sakura, oh my gosh, congratulations!"_

"Thank you," she replied with a laugh to her voice. "It still feels so surreal."

_"How's the ring? Is it gorgeous? Is it huge?"_

"It's perfect, yes, and yes."

_"I'm so happy for you! When's the wedding? I better be a bride's maid! I can't wait!"_

Sakura giggled. "Tomoyo, I only just got engaged! You're going too fast."

_"But don't you see? Isn't this fate?"_

"Fate?"

_"Yes! I mean, I know you decided to just forget about your dad's money and all but you're engaged now. If you get married within the next three months, the conditions can still be met!"_

Sakura would be lying if she said that this thought hadn't occurred to her. The moment she woke up with a clear head this morning, the thought about everything working out did occur to her but she couldn't help but push that thought to the back of her head.

No person should get everything, right? And she felt like if she hoped to have both Syaoran and her father's money, one of those are bound to bite her in the ass at some point.

It was all too good to be true if everything went without a hitch.

"I don't know about that," she finally said. "If it somehow works out, then that'll be good. But if Syaoran doesn't want to have the wedding any time soon, then I don't mind either."

Tomoyo made a somewhat agreeing sound on her end.

_"At least we both know where your priorities lay. You really do love Syaoran, don't you?"_

"Very much. If only you saw it Tomoyo. Last night was just… amazingly perfect."

…

But it wasn't an "amazingly perfect" world.

Although Christmas morning was spent with Syaoran, lounging at his place as they bask in their happiness from being newly engaged, by the afternoon they had to start heading out to attend a Christmas party held by another of Syaoran's business partners.

Sure it all went without a hitch… at first. Parties of this magnitude and with this kind of guest list meant the attendance of media. A _lot_ of them. And although Sakura made sure to hide her hand which had her engagement ring in it as they entered the building where the party was held, she was much more relaxed after they escaped indoors.

There were official photographers inside without her or Syaoran's realizing and it got out midway that Sakura had a very eye-catching piece of jewelry resting on her ring finger. After that, it was mayhem. Talk immediately spread like wildfire amongst the guests about Syaoran finally getting engaged and from there, it got out.

Sakura didn't know but she can only guess it was because of the younger crowd in the party gossiping away to their friends or to social media.

"These times I wish Eriol was here," Syaoran muttered under his breath as he and Sakura finally escaped the barrage of people who had been coming to them nonstop to congratulate them and to get a good look on the engagement ring itself.

"Why Eriol?" Sakura couldn't help but wonder to which Syaoran grinned.

"He may not look like it but Eriol's pretty good at crowd control. He can be a pretty useful chatterbox when he has to be. And considering who he is and his position in society, of course it'd be rude to ignore him in the middle of his sermons."

She couldn't help but giggle as she imagined it.

"I'm sorry about this though," Syaoran suddenly said, looking more serious. "I know you don't care much for media attention."

"That's true. But it's fine. It'll die down eventually, right?"

"Probably. Though I have to admit, I'm glad the world knows you're officially mine," he admitted looking quite happy.

Sakura smiled and held his arm even tighter in reply to this.

"Ready?" he asked.

They were both standing in the entrance hall of the building, behind the tinted glass of the entrance doors. People outside were clearly in a frenzy as they waited for their targets to exit the hotel. Syaoran was only one of many they were hoping to get a shot of from the party but it was safe to assume that he and Sakura were the main attraction for that night.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She took out her left hand from the fluffy hand muffler she had worn going inside the building earlier that night. It was how she hid the ring in the first place. "May as well have them see it this once so they'll never pester me about it, right?"

Syaoran grinned down at her before nodding his head at the men in uniform standing by the doors.

When the doors were opened, their eyes were immediately attacked by the flurry of flashes and their ears were assaulted by the flurry of questions thrown at them.

The walk wasn't far from the entrance to Syaoran's car where one of his bodyguards was waiting with the door open for them after Syaoran contacted him to wait out front for them.

"Mr. Li! So is this all true? You're engaged?"

"Ms. Kinomoto! Let us see the ring!"

"When did you two get engaged?"

"Has a wedding been scheduled?"

"Ms. Kinomoto, what can you say to the rumors going on about you only after Li's fame and fortune?"

As much as Sakura tried to mute out the media's badgering, this last question was hard to ignore. How dare they say such a thing and with Syaoran next to her?

She had just turned around, ready to shout down whomever the questioner was in a very rude manner but Syaoran already beat her to it.

Everyone around them immediately went quiet as Syaoran scanned their faces before turning to look down at Sakura. He took her hand in his and held it up for everyone to see the sparkling diamond ring clearly and with his other hand held her closely by the waist before planting a kiss on her lips.

Sakura was shocked but she let herself by pulled in regardless.

The kiss didn't last more than three seconds before Syaoran pulled away to look at their audience.

"Yes, I'm engaged to Ms. Sakura Kinomoto. I asked her to marry me last night and she fortunately said yes. This is not a hoax and we're marrying each other out of love. That is all. I hope everyone will have as merry a Christmas as I have. Good night to you all." And with that said, he helped Sakura into the car before sliding in after her. There were continued flashes and shouts of questions behind them even while Syaoran's bodyguards were trying to dispel them.

But it didn't matter since their voices were immediately silenced as soon as the door was closed.

* * *

Eriol watched as Tomoyo continued to talk animatedly with a couple much older than themselves. She was a natural when it came to handling conversations and entertaining people and it was something Eriol was eternally grateful for considering the number of events such as this that he had to attend.

"Ah, thank you Eri," Tomoyo said as she took the bowl with small cut fruit from him before placing it on the standing table in front of her.

"Dr. Hiiragizawa, your girlfriend really is such an engaging woman!" complimented the older man with a smile that matched his wife's.

"Thank you Dr. Fukuhara," Eriol grinned before resting his hand on Tomoyo's slim waist. "I think so too."

This was how their evening went. The party was attended by many renowned doctors and researchers across Japan and almost all the people had been taken in by Tomoyo. This was favorable for Eriol as a hospital director, but also favorable for him as Tomoyo's boyfriend.

"You're a hit," Eriol whispered into her ear as soon as they were alone once again.

Tomoyo leaned against him and smiled. "I was nervous half of the time. There are so many people whom I only knew from seeing them on the news," she admitted.

Eriol chuckled. "You're doing great. By the time all this is over, I'll have all the men in here jealous for having you as my woman."

"Oh shush you," she scolded halfheartedly but smiling all the same.

"At any rate, you seem to have been in a good mood all night. May I inquire as to why?"

To this, Tomoyo grinned even wider. "Oh Eriol, I've just had the most amazing news earlier."

Eriol raised his brows. If she were this happy, somehow he already knew what it was about. "You're pregnant!" he exclaimed in jest but quite loudly.

Tomoyo swatted his arm to keep him quiet but he laughed instead. The music overhead was loud and so were the conversing guests, he was sure his earlier outburst wasn't heard.

"I'm kidding," he said with a cheeky smile before wrapping his arms around her waist. "So what's this amazing news?"

"It's Sakura, you know, my best friend."

"Oh?"

"You really have to meet her soon Eri. I'm sure you will eventually at any rate. Anyway, Sakura's engaged!" she said rather brightly with the most pleased look on her face.

"Oh! What a coincidence," he said with the sincerest smile he could muster. "A close friend of mine just got engaged too."

"Really? That's wonderful to hear!"

Now Eriol started to feel bad. Tomoyo had the most genuinely happy smile on her face after hearing his own news. "Err… So, about Sakura. That's good to hear. Make sure to give her my congratulations."

"I think you two should really meet though. Then you can tell her yourself, right?"

He nodded at this. If only she knew. Eriol had wanted all the details of his relationship with Syaoran and Sakura to be out in the open for ages already. But he just didn't know how to bring it up.

It was hard enough that time when Eriol _finally_ admitted to Tomoyo that he wasn't only a doctor but also hospital director and that his family owned Madoka General. She didn't talk to him for almost a full week because she felt lied to.

Eriol cringed at the thought of what she might do now if she found out he was hiding a secret of this magnitude from her. And it involved her precious Sakura.

"If you only knew Eri," Tomoyo continued with a look on her face as if she was in a world of her own filled with nothing but rainbows, smiles, hearts, and Sakura Kinomoto. "Their relationship didn't start as anything simple, that's why I'm so happy they actually ended up engaged."

Eriol gave an indistinct sound as he took a sip from his wine glass. When Tomoyo was in this state, she tended to tune out everything else, including him.

"Sakura had trouble at first trying to get noticed by him, you know? I mean, she was almost desperate because of that will thing from her dad. But that doesn't matter anymore!" Tomoyo gave a giddy giggle at this. "Sakura really does deserve this happiness. That's why I'm so happy for her!"

A frown was on his face at this point. Will thing? From Sakura's father? What was that about? And how does that have anything to do with Sakura and Syaoran's relationship?

He was about to press Tomoyo for details but they were interrupted by yet another couple who had come to give their greetings to Eriol.

The rest of the night went in this fashion and he and Tomoyo never got time alone until it was time for them to leave.

"Hiiragizawa-san, I had the driver take the car out front but I'm afraid there's a bit of an unexpected complication," his assistant informed him as Eriol was helping Tomoyo into her coat.

"Complication?" he repeated, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"The press is in a frenzy outside, demanding to get a word or two from you."

"What in the world for?"

"Eriol?" Tomoyo asked, seeing his surprised face before his assistant could get in another word.

Eriol was indeed well-known in his own right, Tomoyo knew. He was after all the director of the just as well-known hospital owned by his family. But he's pretty low-key compared to Syaoran. The way she saw it, he probably made himself out to be a very boring and uninteresting target over the years which is why the media left him well alone.

During the entire time they dated, they hadn't come across the problems that were now common to Sakura. Although they did get media attention a few times, it was never anything to be considered as a "frenzy" like what apparently is going on now. They spent most of their time indoors and when they did go out, he was always careful of where he took her.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Eriol reassured though without conviction. He hadn't exactly done anything lately. Had he? And as much as he wanted to press his assistant to tell him everything she knew in detail, he decided against it. It might just worry Tomoyo further.

The sooner this was over, the better.

"Let's go?" he said with his usual grin now plastered on his face.

Tomoyo nodded and held his arm just as the hotel doors were opened for them.

"Dr. Hiiragizawa! Dr. Hiiragizawa! Can we have your comment please?"

"You have heard of Mr. Syaoran Li's engagement? What do you think?"

"Is Mr. Li really engaged to Ms. Kinomoto?"

"What is your opinion on Mr. Li's impending nuptials?"

Tomoyo followed Eriol as he led her towards the waiting car. The hotel's security was trying to hold off the hounding press as much as they could but it was clear that they hadn't expected or prepared for something of this sort to happen.

But more than that, Tomoyo was downright surprised and curious as to why these people with microphones, voice recorders, and cameras were pressing Eriol for answers regarding Syaoran's engagement. Why were they even asking his opinion on it?

"Dr. Hiiragizawa! Please give your comment about your best friend's wedding!"

Tomoyo's eyes widened at this and her grip on Eriol's arm tightened considerably.

"Let's get out of this first," Eriol told her and pressed his free hand on her death grip.

* * *

"Congratulations, you made headlines nationwide!" Eriol greeted cheerily as he dropped two large stacks of newspapers and magazines on Syaoran's desk, much to Syaoran's annoyance. "It'll only be a matter of time before international news gets wind of this if they haven't already."

Judging by the thickness, there were probably around thirty or so different newspapers and magazines in each stack which were held together by a rope.

"You were even in last night's late evening news," he added before sitting down on his usual spot on the couch. "After Tomoyo and I left the party we attended, we were practically attacked."

Syaoran raised his brows at this. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why? Everyone knows we're close, of course they'd come after me for confirmation. We were ambushed when we left the party we attended last night. You could've at least given me a heads up that you did all that you know."

He was pointing at one of the stacks which had a tabloid magazine at the very top with a photo of Syaoran and Sakura kissing along with Sakura's engagement ring in full view printed on the front cover.

"I could've better prepared myself for it if you had."

"You mentioned yourself and Tomoyo," Syaoran said, ignoring the rest of what he said. "So I'm guessing she knows now. How'd she take the news?"

"Well enough… For Tomoyo."

"That's surprising. I thought she'd have dumped you on the spot for keeping something like this a secret."

Eriol turned to look at him. "Hey, at least give a little consideration to my relationship."

Syaoran shrugged. "It is surprising. Even you should think so too. You know her best after all."

"True. I actually thought she'd freak out or something. I never expected her to find out that way. But she was quite unruffled when we finally got around to talking about it. I had to settle a lot of things with my assistant on our way home and well into the night. I think she had been thinking about it and calmed down quite a bit by then. So I suppose I'm just lucky this time around."

"Take it as a lesson. Don't hide anything from your woman."

Eriol raised a brow at him. "_You_'re giving me lessons on women now?"

"So are you happy or unhappy, make it clear."

"What do you mean?" he asked, surprised.

"You look like your quite pleased with how everything turned out but it's also clear something's bugging you."

"Have years of friendship given you the ability to read my heart? I'm touched!" Eriol exaggerated with a loving expression on his face.

"I can read your face and your mood. Now what is it?"

Eriol would normally start laughing at this point but even if he forced one at the moment, he was sure Syaoran could tell it would be fake so he didn't bother.

"It's nothing," he finally said before pushing himself off the couch.

This got Syaoran's attention. Something was clearly bugging Eriol and he refused to tell him which was also another unusual thing.

"I'll tell you later once I make sure of it myself," Eriol added. This statement was so vague it only bothered Syaoran further.

"Oi, you can't be serious. Just tell me."

At this point, Eriol really did chuckle. Seeing the annoyed look on Syaoran's face always made him react that way.

"Take this as my little revenge for almost ruining my relationship with Tomoyo."

* * *

"Personally, I'm happy for him," Josie said with a fond smile.

"Oh, yes! I'm very happy for them! I like Ms. Sakura!" Genevieve exclaimed quite sincerely to surprised looks from the three other secretaries.

Indeed, Sakura hadn't gone to this area of the building often ever since her relationship with their boss was publicized. But sometimes it was unavoidable especially when Syaoran insisted for her to come up for a drink in his office before they leave the office together.

During those rare times though, as nice a girl as Sakura was, it was clear how wary she was of Genevieve. So it was a surprise hearing from the beauty of her still apparent like for the future Mrs. Li.

Genevieve smiled and took her leave to a connecting room with a pile of documents in hand.

Josie, Tai, and Mia watched her with smiles on their faces. She was indeed a decent woman, and a hardworking secretary much like the rest of them so it was hard not to like Genevieve even with her naturally flirtatious manner.

"I hope Sakura comes up sometime soon, then I can give her my congratulations personally," Mia piped up.

"It still feels unreal that she actually worked in this floor though. Isn't it?" Tai asked.

Before the women could talk about the issue any further though, there was loud bang and Eriol had materialized in front of their boss's office doors.

He was grinning widely at them and already they could tell what exactly took place inside the office he had just vacated. They had worked there long enough to know the kind of relationship Syaoran and Eriol shared.

There was another bang from inside the room.

"Seriously, Syaoran should cherish my gifts for him a little more, don't you think?" he asked quite roguishly to the three women who couldn't help but roll their eyes altogether at him and laugh.

Before Eriol made his visit, they clearly saw the two large, bound stacks he had carried in and they can only assume those were the two loud bangs they had heard collide against the wooden doors of Syaoran's office.

"I'm afraid I just added more work for you ladies. I have to apologize," Eriol said with a bow though the wicked smile on his face was still present. He was referring to the possible job of having to fix up and rearrange Syaoran's office where one or more things would usually end up out of place after every time Eriol visited.

"Not at all Hiiragizawa-san, we're used to it," they replied in unison.

Eriol laughed.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I just love writing Eriol. He's such a fun character to write. I didn't even intentionally start his character as this kind of mischievous and fun-loving guy. He just ended up this way.

Anyway, as I mentioned previously, I finished writing this story. So the updates of the next chapters until it's all over are gonna come regularly from now on. Not counting the Omake chapter earlier, there's going to be 20 CHAPTERS + an EPILOGUE in total.

I'm so excited! One less story to think about!

My biggest motivation was that I barred myself from continuing _any_ of my other stories until I finished this. That in itself was huge. I _sooooo_ wanted to write something for my other stories. But I really didn't... and here's the result. Ha! _*cries a river*_

So to other authors out there, take my advice: DO NOT WRITE ANOTHER STORY WITHOUT FINISHING YOUR CURRENT ONE.

The reason why I've been so uninterested with **Mending Mistakes** was because I've been so focused on two other CCS stories (one contemporary and one historical), as well as two yaoi KnB stories, and one SnK story. I'm even also working on two completely original ones. I know, there's so much and at the same time too. I've been writing paragraphs/chapters for ALL of those in turn depending on my mood these past months. That's why I never finished _any_ of them, including this one. Eek! The mind is an imaginative and busy thing.

That's the sad tale of my being a bad author.

'Til the next update, Ja ne!

**Raeny**


	16. Plan of Action

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

**"Plan of Action"**

* * *

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Tomoyo asked yet again.

"It's really fine. And I want to be here. I'd rather be here than wait by myself at Syaoran's place. He's busy at work."

"Christmas has barely gone by, that man should take a break or two. I mean, even we have a couple days off."

Sakura giggled but didn't say anything.

By now she already knew how Syaoran was and she could hardly stop him from being the way he was. Although she did suggest that he take a break from work that day to stay in bed with her, and he indeed fulfilled her request by staying in. But he only stayed long enough until she fell back to sleep after which, he promptly left for the office.

"Thanks for coming over though, Sakura. I really did need to vent out a lot of things. And since Eri has work…" she trailed away and sighed.

"Are you feeling any better?" Sakura inquired worriedly.

Tomoyo gave her a smile. "I'm fine. The shock is still there but it's okay now. If I think about it further, this is rather a good thing, isn't it? Eriol and Syaoran are best friends, you and I are best friends, that only makes us all closer!"

"I know what you mean," Sakura grinned. "But I still need to ask Syaoran if he knew though. I mean, it's hard to believe that none of us knew of any sort of connection we had to each other after all this time, you know?"

The darker haired girl nodded. "Eri told me he didn't expect my Sakura to be the same as Syaoran's Sakura and I can't exactly blame him. I mean, your first name is fairly common and I never did mention your surname to him."

Sakura thought about this. Syaoran and Eriol were really close as far as she knows. It was probably impossible for Syaoran not to know of Eriol and Tomoyo's relationship right?

* * *

"Fujitaka Kinomoto."

"_I can't be sure how much information I can get though Dr. Hiiragizawa. Wills and such things are generally kept private."_

"It's fine. Just tell me as much as you find out."

"_Very well, sir."_

"Oh, and make sure to keep this matter private."

"_Yes, of course."_

"Tell me once you get anything."

"_Yes."_

Eriol replaced the receiver of his office phone and leaned back into his chair. He didn't exactly want to go this far from something Tomoyo had only said in passing the previous night but he couldn't help it. It did involve Syaoran, and it was only right for him to look out for his best friend as the man would usually do for him.

* * *

Syaoran fell silent for a few seconds. He had already prepared himself on what to tell Sakura the moment she would question him about Eriol and Tomoyo. After what Eriol had told him earlier that morning, it was only expected that she would immediately interrogate him about the matter. And Sakura didn't disappoint.

"It was a surprise," he finally said as he made a scene of removing his coat and tie. "Eriol dropped by my office earlier this morning to tell me actually."

"Oh? So you didn't know anything about Eriol dating _my _Tomoyo?"

"I had my suspicions," Syaoran said, not really lying but not really telling the truth, though the whole truth was that he was actually the very first person who knew everything in the first place.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked with a slight frown.

"It wasn't exactly my place to say or do anything. I mean, it's their relationship. I wouldn't want to be the one to spoil anything out of suspicion."

This answer didn't exactly satisfy Sakura and it probably showed on her face for Syaoran took that moment to give her a sweet kiss on the lips.

"Work today was tiring," he admitted after he pulled back and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Did anything happen?" she asked. She couldn't help the smile appearing on her face now by the way he was acting.

"Nonstop calls from friends, colleagues, business partners, and _family_." This last one he said rather pointedly and with much annoyance that Sakura couldn't help but recall Syaoran's sisters whom she had only met once before. "Calls for congratulations was all well and good but my sisters were practically harassing me. My parents gave me a call too."

Sakura stiffened after hearing this. She never met Syaoran's parents but she can only imagine how intimidating that sort of meeting will be when it comes.

He must have felt her because he pulled back to look at her.

"They congratulated me too. They said they wanted to meet you," he told her with a grin.

"I don't think I can handle meeting the founders of Li Corp.," she admitted in a nervous voice.

"You won't be meeting the founders of Li Corp., you'll be meeting my parents," he corrected and brushed his hand against her cheek. "And that won't happen any time soon so you can relax."

* * *

_January…_

_February…_

Time flew. Literally… or that's how it felt to Sakura.

Though Syaoran said she wouldn't be meeting Syaoran's parents anytime soon, he was wrong. The renowned president of Li Corp. along with his wife had flown in to spend New Year's Eve with Syaoran, Sakura, and- to Syaoran's annoyance –his four sisters who too had flown in around the exact same time when they heard of their parents' plans.

The Li family reunion wasn't as overwhelming as Sakura had thought. But it was probably because they had spent their time together in a regular setting within Syaoran's flat.

Syaoran had said that it would do no one any good to be caught in public. Li Corp.'s president, vice-president (something Sakura didn't even know until Yelan Li mentioned the stress the job was giving her), and five of the company's CEOs in public together? It's like asking for a death wish and the media will surely have a field day. He also expressed that he lacked enough security to accompany their group anywhere and it was too short notice to call in more and the present season and events only made it impossible. So they settled to having a small party in his home instead. And although Sakura expressed how nerve wrecking the thought was, the actual thing wasn't all too bad in the end. Even better.

It felt like a normal family spending quality time together… as normal as it could be for a family who owned and ran a renowned and successful business empire anyway.

Mr. and Mrs. Li weren't only expectedly well-mannered, but quite friendly as well and not at all stuck-up as what Sakura would have expected from the elite. Syaoran's sisters were also as wonderful as they were back when Sakura first met them, even better and more natural without the restrictions and expectations of watching eyes. Even the beloved family dog his parents brought with them, an adorable and well-trained, snow white Shih Tzu, by the name of Yin, was lovely. The canine also seemed to seal the portrait of a "perfect family" for Sakura that she ended up crying her eyes out and embracing Yin (to the surprise of the entire Li family, including Syaoran).

Besides making an embarrassing spectacle of herself, Sakura was grateful for the experience. It made her miss her father who was her original and only family for a long time but now the thought of being married into Syaoran's large and happy family made her glad as well.

But now, it was nearing the end of February. And now they had another matter at hand to deal with.

"So what do you think?" Syaoran asked looking unsure which was rare to see on his usually composed and confident face.

"Married in a month?" Sakura echoed disbelievingly. She was more surprised than anything else. "I'm not saying it isn't okay with me, but why so soon?"

"Well, why not?"

She raised her brows. Surely that wasn't his actual defense for her question.

Syaoran chuckled. "Okay, okay… It's because my sisters have been making their own plans since New Year's."

"Plans?"

"For our wedding," he answered with a sigh. "And their plans have only gotten more and more extravagant. I'm sure you wouldn't want your own wedding to be planned out for you right? Of course, if you actually want a grand wedding with thousands of guests, I wouldn't mind. It's your wedding too of-"

"No," Sakura spoke up immediately and sounding horrified.

Having thousands of guests was something she definitely didn't want her own wedding to have. If anything, all she ever envisioned in her wedding was a quaint garden ceremony with immediate friends and family. And it wasn't like she had much of both at any rate. The last of her family was gone and the only friend she could think of inviting as well as acting as her maid of honor was Tomoyo.

"Of course, I also want to marry you as soon as possible," Syaoran continued. "I wouldn't want to get married in a rush just because of my meddlesome family," he reassured.

Sakura couldn't help but smile. "What day did you have in mind?"

"March thirty first," he answered immediately which only proved to Sakura that he had thought about this quite a bit.

"Why that date specifically?"

"Several reasons. The main reason being it's predicted that in Tokyo this year, the thirty first is when the first cherry blossoms will bloom. It's only fitting, don't you think?" he asked with a grin. "Second is because your birthday is the day after. We can drop by Tomoeda and your father's grave before we head out for our honeymoon."

She fell silent as he said this. Syaoran really had thought all this through, more so than she had. It wasn't like she was satisfied being engaged for a while, but because she was afraid of messing anything up by being too forceful of any wedding details. She already felt bad about her primary intentions of going after Syaoran after all, even if it all ended up in actual and mutual love between them.

"So what do you think?" he asked once again.

"I think I'm the luckiest girl in the world," she admitted and rested her palms on the sides of his face. "And that you're the best man a girl could ever ask for."

He couldn't help the boyish grin on his face.

"I love you," she confessed with all the emotions she felt at that moment and planted a soft and gentle kiss on his lips. "And yes, I think your plan is perfect."

* * *

"_Whattttt?!"_

"_Whattttt?!"_

"_Whattttt?!"_

"_Whattttt?!"_

Syaoran massaged his temples and tried with all his might to be patient as a tirade of protests filled the air in his office. His sisters had- as he expected –launched into a series of complaints.

He had just informed them of the plans of his wedding with Sakura at the end of that month and they weren't happy and he knew it was because it rendered all their planning useless.

"_But Xiao Lang! We finally just agreed to it!"_

"_Yes, we finally agreed on it Xiao Lang. So don't just pull this kind of news!"_

The use of his Chinese name only proved how serious they were and it only exasperated him further.

"_Your ceremony was to be set in Guam with the reception in Hong Kong!"_

"_After that, you'll fly over to Singapore for a day before heading to Paris to stay for a week of romance!"_

"_And after that, you'll have the option of heading north to-"_

"Enough!" Syaoran cut in to which silence immediately followed.

"_Girls, its Syaoran and Sakura's wedding. They have the right to decide what they want to do."_

"Thank you, father," he said with a sigh. "As I said, the ceremony will take place here in Tokyo on the thirty first. I'm telling you now so you can clear your schedules early enough to attend. It's going to be a small garden ceremony with only close friends and family. So please don't disclose this information to anyone else."

"_But of course!"_

"_But of course!"_

"_But of course!"_

"_But of course!"_

"Thank you." He said this distinctively as if to point out just how grateful he was that everything's settled. "That's all I want to tell you all. So I hope Sakura and I will see you on that day."

"_Oh! And Syaoran, do ask Sakura for me if she would like for Yin to bear the rings during your ceremony. She seemed to really adore him."_

This suggestion wasn't actually a bad idea. Yin was very well trained too so it wouldn't be a problem to have him walk down the aisle with the ring pillow tied to his back.

Just imagining the look on Sakura's face during the ceremony when the priest asks for the rings and the dog appearing was enough to convince him it really was a good idea.

"We don't have to tell her, mother. Let's make it a surprise. Please bring Yin with you when you come."

"_Alright then!"_

The sisters giggled, probably imagining Sakura's happily crying face again.

"Alright then, I'll see you all soon. Goodbye for now," Syaoran said in farewell to which his sisters exclaimed a unified and excited _"Tsai tsien!"_ before they hung up and his parents said their more calmly goodbyes before they too ended the conference call.

Syaoran leaned back against his chair in relief. The hardest part (in his opinion) was finally over. If his father hadn't said what he did, he was sure the quadruplets would nag at him for days so he was inwardly _very_ grateful for what he did.

There were three weeks left until the ceremony. He had helped Sakura as much as possible by hiring the best wedding planner he could find and a couple of assistants- more than she needed according to her –so the planning will go faster and more smoothly. They didn't exactly have a lot of preparation time but he figured it was more than enough for a small garden wedding which Sakura herself wanted.

If he thought that Sakura wanted something more extravagant, then he wouldn't have initially suggested the March 31st date but somehow knew that wasn't something she would've wanted anyway.

Syaoran smiled. The sooner he was married to her, the happier he will be. He wasn't exactly in a hurry himself, but just the thought of having her married to him gave him a more pleasant and happy feeling than what he originally expected when he finally got engaged with Sakura.

Who would've known that marriage was something that appealed to him this much? Life with Sakura had certainly brought out a lot of pleasant surprises in him.

* * *

"Ah! Dr. Hiirgizawa!"

Eriol looked back at the reception area where one of the ladies behind the counter was looking his way.

"Yes?"

"A man in a suit came to see you but you weren't around. I told him to just sit in the lounge by your office if he wanted to wait."

"I see. Thank you." His office was on the ground floor so it didn't take long for him to see who his visitor was. The moment his eyes landed on him, the man in question had looked up and Eriol gestured for him to come with him.

The man who was wearing dark sunglasses and a hat along with his suit followed him into the office without a word.

"You should seriously stop dressing that way. You do know you get more attention instead if you insist on wearing sunglasses and a hat indoors?" Eriol pointed out as he took off his coat to hang it on the rack by his desk and took down the white lab coat next to it in return.

"Yes, of course," the man nodded but didn't give any indication of taking any of it off.

"I was expecting to hear from you sooner," Eriol admitted.

"It wasn't easy. I had to do a lot of digging."

"I only asked about the will he left behind though."

"Yes but other things came up regarding the late Mr. Kinomoto as I was trying to find out about the will. Things I was sure would also interest you."

"Other things?" Eriol echoed. "What other things?"

To this, a manila envelope was handed to him. At first glance, it was clear that it wasn't just a will inside because it was thick. There was clearly a thick stack of papers enclosed inside.

Eriol took it without question and pulled out its contents.

"Take a seat Akiyama-san," he said and gestured to one of two chairs in front of his desk.

"Thank you."

Silence filled the room after that as Eriol went through the many papers that were inside. It was all impressive, was what Eriol thought, but he didn't see why he would be interested in records of Fujitaka Kinomoto's many assets and properties.

As if the confused look on his face was what Koutarou Akiyama was waiting for, he immediately started to explain. Eriol listened to him as he explained the numbers in the file but the look on his face still showed that he didn't understand the point of it all.

"In short," Akiyama said in a finalized tone, "Fujitaka Kinomoto left 300 million yen behind when he passed away."

Eriol's brows shot up immediately. Although the number wasn't anything close to the amount of money he knew companies even like his were used to handling, it was still a very much impressive amount especially since this all came from a singular person's hard work.

"What happened to the money?" he asked automatically.

"It's in a bank in Tomoeda. And it is conveniently run by Fujitaka Kinomoto's friend of many years, a man by the name of Nao Morita."

"Morita?" Eriol echoed. "I guess Sakura was telling the truth."

"Sir?"

Eriol shook his head. "And, what else? Is his account still active? I mean, he already passed away. Instructions should have been given to transfer it to his immediate family."

"I made an inquiry about that. I didn't get much of the details since it was confidential. My source said that there were pending plans on transferring Fujitaka Kinomoto's account to his daughter, a Ms. Sakura Kinomoto. But there was also a set deadline."

"Deadline?"

Akiyama nodded. "The deadline is actually set the day after tomorrow, on her 27th birthday on April 1st. I didn't get any more useful information but apparently Fujitaka Kinomoto's account will be dissolved after that date. I didn't get any information as to where the money will end up by then."

This didn't entirely make sense to Eriol. From what he overheard from Tomoyo's conversation with Sakura months back, it sounded as if Sakura had to get married for some reason. And from what Tomoyo mentioned during the Christmas party, Sakura had some trouble with her father's will. Now, he just found out that a huge sum of money will probably be given to Sakura or to some other person or people.

Thinking of the details in that manner, a conclusion finally formed inside Eriol's head. But it wasn't a good one. He can only assume for now but from what he gathered, it sounded like Sakura had to be married to get her father's money.

But if that were true, wouldn't it be easier to marry some random guy instead? At least someone a lot _easier_ than Syaoran? If Sakura still went for Syaoran regardless of these conditions, it meant that Sakura really did love Syaoran from the start. Sure it wasn't a nice thing to rush a marriage for money, but at least she wasn't exactly using Syaoran.

'Still…' Eriol thought, his brows furrowing now as he thought about it further.

Sakura still could've just married someone else, get the money, file for divorce, and if she really did have feelings for Syaoran, go after him afterwards, right? That was the easiest and safest way to go about it. So why had she been adamant about Syaoran from the start? Although it certainly was proven possible now, the risk was still there before. The risk of not getting married to Syaoran before her birthday was high, so the risk of not getting her father's money was high. But she still went for Syaoran anyway.

"_Why_?" Eriol found himself muttering as he absentmindedly looked at the file in front of him.

Then a sudden thought came to mind.

"Akiyama-san, do you have the name of Fujitaka's lawyer?" The lawyer was the only one Eriol could think of that must know all the details of the will.

The other man pointed at one of the first few pages which held personal information about Sakura's father.

"I tried giving him a call too but as expected, he wouldn't give me any details."

Eriol sighed in disappointment but it wasn't like he actually expected a lawyer to reveal confidential information easily anyway. He scanned the pages and saw it written on the top of the third page and it even had the man's contact information written beneath it.

"Kentaro Hashimoto," Eriol read out loud.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Tsai tsien_ - means "Goodbye" in Chinese

Hmmm... Besides that, there's nothing else I need to clarify right?

So for now, Ja ne!

**Raeny**


	17. Perfectly Imperfect

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

**"Perfectly Imperfect"**

* * *

"Nervous?"

Syaoran stole a glance at Eriol to see if he was serious. "More excited than nervous," he admitted.

"I can't believe you're actually getting married."

"It's about to happen. Surely it's not that unbelievable at this point."

"Let me rephrase. I can't believe you're getting married _before me_," Eriol emphasized which made Syaoran roll his eyes.

"When Tomoyo catches the bouquet later, make sure to ask for her hand then," Syaoran suggested.

Eriol snickered. "I just might do that."

A light breeze blew, rustling the blooming cherry blossom trees above head and causing a slight ripple in the lake before them.

They were in one of the many parks in Tokyo which was popular for its cherry blossom viewing. Syaoran had rented the entire place for the day just for their wedding ceremony which will take place at the opposite edge of the lake they were currently standing next to. A podium had already been set up underneath the largest cherry blossom tree which could be seen from where they were, as well as the rows of chairs, the grand piano, flower fixtures, and other decorations. There were a couple of tents erected for them to prepare including a larger one where Sakura would make her entrance before she would walk down the aisle.

Everything was perfect, from the weather down to the details of the ceremony which will be starting in a couple of minutes.

'Should I say it? No? Yes?' Eriol deliberated in his head.

As much as he wanted to tell Syaoran of what he found out, this wasn't the time to do so. The man was getting married in less than half an hour for crying out loud. As important as he thought this issue was, the wedding itself was just as or even more important. He didn't want to rain on Syaoran's happiness.

Then again, he wasn't even 100% sure of what he found out. Personally, it all didn't make much sense to him and that's the reason why he spent the last two days trying to figure it out instead of telling Syaoran the moment Akiyama gave him the information. He was hoping to understand the situation more but found that he couldn't. So maybe it didn't really matter? Maybe he can tell Syaoran without it really affecting their impending wedding?

"Is me getting married before you really bothering you that much?" Syaoran inquired with a raised brow. He had just turned, intending to start making his way to the actual venue where he could see people already taking their seats when he saw the odd look on Eriol's face.

"Eh?" the darker haired man replied absently. "Well, no. I was just thinking."

"About?"

They started their slow walk by following the edge of the lake.

"You love Sakura," Eriol said this as a statement, not a question.

"I love Sakura," Syaoran agreed with conviction.

"No matter what happens, you'll stick by her."

"I'll stick by her."

"For richer, for poorer, in sickness, in health-"

"You better not have some crazy plan like replacing the priest as a sick joke or something," Syaoran cut in with a warning gleam in his eye.

Eriol couldn't help but laugh out loud at this. "I wish."

"Do that and I'll push you into the lake." It wasn't said in a threatening manner but Eriol was sure that Syaoran wouldn't hesitate to do just that if he attempted something like it.

"My point," Eriol continued as his hilarity subsided. "Whatever happens, you'll stick by her."

"Of course."

"What if she betrays you?" he suggested mildly.

Syaoran stopped walking to look at him. He had known Eriol for years and as much of a jokester he was, he wasn't the type to say something without purpose or reason… especially not at a time like this.

"Do you have a reason to think that way?"

Eriol shrugged.

"Now would be the time to tell me if you know something that I don't Eriol."

"I'm not entirely sure either. And I surely don't wanna ruin your wedding day." The brunet looked ready to argue but Eriol persisted before he could. "All I can say is that I can see how sincere Sakura's feelings are for you and that I have no doubt in my mind that she loves you."

"Then why ask what you did just now?"

"It's not a question of feelings," he reassured and resumed walking again. "I found out something about her past. Before you two dated, I mean."

"Does it have to do anything with me?" Syaoran asked, curious.

"Not exactly… I think. Or quite frankly, I'm not sure."

"You're not making any sense."

Eriol scratched the back of his head. "If what I found out made sense, then I assure you I'd make sense when I tell you."

Silence fell between them once again.

"If it's something about Sakura's past," Syaoran suddenly said. "It doesn't matter."

"Are you sure?"

"I love her. She loves me. That much is clear to me. So I don't think anything else matters right now. And I don't see how my feelings for her could possibly change… I guess unless I find out that she's just using me for something like my money or whatever."

"I'm pretty sure she's not using you for your money," Eriol said with a grin as he recalled the time when he and Syaoran walked in on Tomoyo and Sakura while they were making plans on the decorations for the venue of the wedding reception. Tomoyo had apparently suggested some kind of extravagant stage but Sakura talked her down because the venue they had already booked- and paid for -was too small to accommodate it. Syaoran had told her that he'll find a larger place but Sakura just ended up lecturing him about not wasting his money unnecessarily.

"I'm pretty sure too," he agreed.

Sakura never asked anything from Syaoran. Ever. Most of the things she received from him were mostly forced on her like the collection of gowns and jewelry she now owns from attending various events with him. And even more than half of those things she's tried to force him to take back.

"So I don't think she's using me. I mean, that's the only big thing she could probably use me for after all. And I'm pretty damn sure she hasn't cheated on me. She's proven that by how bad she felt just from having dinner with an old senior. She'd probably break up with me out of guilt if she somehow ended up actually cheating on me. So unless you uncovered something like some sort of betrayal on her part, I don't think my feelings will change."

"That's honestly good to hear," Eriol admitted.

He somewhat felt reassured hearing Syaoran say those words and his guilt for trying to rat out on Sakura with his personal suspicions was abated. He had told Syaoran what he was worried about. Although Eriol didn't get into detail about the matter, he at least warned Syaoran enough to be aware that there was a problem regarding her bride-to-be. That was enough.

"It's almost time."

* * *

Tomoyo held her hands over her mouth.

"Oh Sakura," she said quite breathlessly. "You look absolutely beautiful!"

Sakura blushed pink rather prettily as her best friend looked at her closely.

"I can't stop shaking," she confessed with a nervous smile.

"Wedding jitters, completely normal," Tomoyo reassured and handed her a fresh bouquet. It had a variety of white flowers in it that were tied together by a baby pink and pale green- the wedding's color scheme -ribbon. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Not a second later, a tune had begun to play from the grand piano outside and the chattering crowd outside the tent they were currently in hushed perceptively.

A woman in a simple pastel green dress entered the tent from a side entrance and nodded at Tomoyo.

"You'll make your entrance in five…"

Tomoyo nodded at the woman and turned to Sakura.

"Four… "

She gripped Sakura's hands in hers in a reassuring manner before going to stand right behind the curtained entrance.

"Three… Two… One."

The curtains were drawn and Tomoyo walked down the white carpeted aisle slowly and gracefully in her pale pink cocktail dress.

Sakura caught a glimpse of the select guests invited to the ceremony and she could feel her pulse gaining speed.

Not long after, the piano piece that was playing switched smoothly to a much gentler but distinct melody. It meant that Tomoyo was already in place at the podium out front with Syaoran and Eriol and it was her turn now to make her entrance.

She breathed deeply and exhaled just as the wedding organizer motioned for her to step up behind the curtain.

Sakura walked up to stand in the exact spot Tomoyo had left seconds earlier, and smoothened the skirt of her immaculately white dress unnecessarily.

"You'll make your entrance in five… four… three…"

* * *

Syaoran forced his eyes open despite really not wanting to. There was in incessant buzzing from somewhere close by and it effectively interrupted his sleep.

He was about to push himself off the bed when he felt the weight on his right arm.

"Sakura," he said with a smile as the sleeping goddess who was now officially his wife stirred slightly in her sleep from his abrupt movement. Her head was resting on his arm and she had her own arm draped across his waist.

The vibrating cell phone hadn't ceased though and if he didn't want to disturb her rest, he had to stop it.

Slowly and carefully, he pulled away from her and started hunting for the annoying gadget. He was sure it was Sakura's cell since his own had been off since the previous day for very obvious reasons. There was no reason why he'd take any sort of call during his own honeymoon. But who on earth would be trying to contact Sakura at this time of day? Surely it wasn't Tomoyo. That woman would've had enough tact not to even if there was some sort of emergency.

Syaoran- finally –found her cell amongst the many bags in the room which they left unpacked and untouched since they got there. The screen was flashing a familiar name which Syaoran hadn't seen save for that one time many months ago.

"Kentaro Hashimoto," he read out loud and when he did, the vibrating stopped.

This was a part of Sakura- his _wife_ -which he didn't know about. Dare he answer the call if that man called again? It wasn't like he didn't have the right. Sure, he knew not to but then he was rather curious.

Syaoran waited a few seconds but the unknown man never called again. But just as he was about to return the cell, it vibrated momentarily to reveal a received text message. It was from the same man.

Now this was another story. Answering a ringing call was an entirely different thing from reading a message that wasn't meant for you.

With a sigh, Syaoran returned the cell phone inside the side pocket of Sakura's larger carry-on bag which she had brought with her on their trip. He was confident she'll tell him about Kentaro Hashimoto's identity someday if it was something he needed to know. He can't go around poking into her business like with that Naoki Morita months ago. Just like that time, this was probably nothing.

* * *

Kentaro clicked the end call button, thinking again. Wasn't it a bit tactless of him to be calling a newlywed? Sakura had just gotten married yesterday and here he was calling her the morning after her wedding night just because he received a text from Sakura the previous day.

He should just send her a simple text back. And probably arrange to send a gift after they come back from their honeymoon.

He still found it hard to believe that Sakura actually managed to get married to _the_ Li Xiao Lang.

Sure enough when their engagement was publicized months ago, Kentaro was in a state of total shock. He never dreamed that the man Fujitaka intended to marry off his daughter to was a well-known business tycoon of Syaoran's caliber. Li's name was so well known that he didn't even consider for a second that it could be the person meant in Fujitaka's will. And another surprising thing about all this is that Sakura actually managed to meet her father's conditions. She managed to marry the tycoon himself and right before the termination date to boot. So that must mean that Syaoran was aware of the will as well.

Kentaro shook his head. The Kinomoto family was indeed full of surprises.

* * *

_Sakura, don't worry, I completely understand. Don't mind it at all._

_With someone like Li, it's only natural to have a very private wedding of just close friends and family._

_Also, don't worry about the matter about your father's will._

_Just go ahead and enjoy your honeymoon, I'll take care of the transfer procedures of his account from here together with Nao._

_Again, congratulations to you both!_

– _Kentaro Hashimoto –_

Sakura smiled, deleted the message, and shut off her cell phone before putting it back inside her bag. She was in the middle of her honeymoon. She didn't want to think of anything else except for herself, her husband, and the quality uninterrupted time that they will have.

Stretching her arms above her head, she made her way to the open sliding doors that led to the wide veranda which had an underground instilled hot tub beside the outdoor dining table which was currently being diligently worked on by three uniformed workers who were putting on a large variety of food and drinks for her and Syaoran's breakfast.

"I'm sorry ma'am," one of them apologized in English, "we'll have the table set soon."

"It's not a problem," Sakura reassured. It wasn't their fault after all. It's just that she and Syaoran woke up early. "Please take your time."

Syaoran was already up and gone when Sakura woke up. He was probably the one who called for breakfast to be set up outside so she could wake up with it all ready. Unfortunately, Sakura was used to waking up early and Tokyo was an hour ahead of Hong Kong. So here she was now, lounging in their hotel room or rather- cabin? She didn't know what to call it exactly but it was one of few houses on the island she had arrived at with Syaoran last night. After their wedding reception, they had immediately left for the airport for a flight to Hong Kong much to Sakura's surprise.

From the airport, they took a short ride by boat until they arrived at this island. Sakura could only vaguely recall being in a large hotel but from there, they were driven a short distance to where she was now. But on their way there, she did see various cabins that looked similar to this one albeit smaller in size and less grand in design.

She had only told Syaoran a few days ago about her decision to visit Tomoeda and her father's grave on a later date so they can just enjoy their honeymoon right after so she didn't expect that he had anything else this elaborately planned.

There was a light knock and Sakura looked up at the still open glass doors that led to the veranda. One of the staff was standing there.

"Everything is prepared," he announced.

"Thank you very much. Uhmm… Would you happen to know where my b- husband is?" This would definitely take some time to get used to but she had to admit, referring to Syaoran as her husband had a nice ring to it.

"I-"

"Your _husband_ is right here," Syaoran's voice cut in before the man himself appeared next to the staff. "Thank you, you may leave," he said with a nod.

The man bowed and took his leave in probably the same way Syaoran made his entry.

"You're up already. I was hoping you'd sleep in a little," he said as Sakura came towards him to wrap her arms around his waist. "I'm pretty sure I tired you out last night," he added in a whisper making Sakura dig her head closer against his chest in embarrassment. He had indeed successfully tire her out last night. That tended to happen after even thoroughly being made love to.

He chuckled.

"By the way, I need you to see something," with that he held Sakura by the waist and led her onto the veranda and to one of the steps that led down from it. At first Sakura thought he was leading her towards the nearby beach which was practically next to their cabin but he instead brought her down a separate path that looked like it led to a secluded garden.

"Syaoran? Where are we going?"

He didn't say anything but instead motioned for her to follow the curving path first to while he followed right behind her.

She was about to question again but they seemed to already reach the end when Sakura found herself in a circular enclosure surrounded by various types of trees, bushes and tropical flowers. This was probably some sort of place where guests would spend a romantic and secluded dinner under the stars.

At the moment, however, there was nothing except for a gigantic box that could probably fit a person inside and it had a large pink ribbon tied at the top.

"Happy Birthday, Mrs. Li," Syaoran whispered from behind and reached around to pull her face up to his for a kiss.

* * *

The time off they spent for their honeymoon went by as if it had only spanned a day instead of the actual full week.

But Syaoran was the head of his own large company. He couldn't stay away too long. During the duration of their company, his usual duties had been forwarded to his sisters to take care of in rotation to make up for his absence. Now, they were back to reality.

They had already returned to Japan three days ago but Sakura still felt like she was on cloud nine.

A giggle made her turn to look at her companion. "What's so funny?"

"You," Tomoyo said almost immediately with a grin. "You look like you left your soul back in Hong Kong."

Sakura couldn't help but grin back. "How can you tell?"

"Well, because if you were completely here, you would have freaked the moment you noticed your purse was being chewed out."

She looked at Tomoyo curiously and turned to what she was pointing at.

In the corner of the room, one of her purses was currently under torture by a white fluffy menace.

"Lan!" Sakura shouted and practically pounced on the puppy. "Bad girl, you do not chew on Chanel. This isn't your toy."

The dog merely barked up at her happily.

It was Tomoyo's day off today so Sakura had asked for her help in packing her belongings in her apartment so she can move what she wanted to take with her to Syaoran's place sooner than later. But as a last minute thing, she decided to bring along the months old white Shih Tzu whom she named Lan so Tomoyo could meet her.

"I never knew you wanted a dog though. I never even knew you _liked_ dogs. So I'm surprised Syaoran gave you one as a birthday gift."

"I didn't either until I met his parents' dog. You know the one you saw at our wedding. I don't know, they're just terribly cute and I think its nice having a dog in the family. Don't you think?"

Tomoyo smiled fondly at Sakura as she started playing with her new charge. Besides actually and truly loving Syaoran, this was probably why she had grown so easily attached to him, because of her inner desire to build her own family ever since her father passed away. She could see why Fujitaka would put a condition as drastic as getting married now. He really just wanted his daughter to feel secure with people who will love her unconditionally.

"Lan still needs a lot of training before she'll be anything like Yin though," Sakura said as she lifted the puppy in the air. "Right Lan-lan? You're gonna be a good girl for me and Syaoran right?"

Lan gave a gleeful bark in reply.

* * *

"What's that for?" Syaoran asked in surprise as the very large bouquet of flowers was placed on the coffee table in Syaoran's office.

"It was sent here to Sakura's department sir but she's not in."

Well, she wouldn't be because Syaoran insisted she take a leave from work for another week after they got back so she can spend the time to clear her old apartment.

"So it was brought here instead," Mia added unsurely.

Mia had a worried look on her face but Syaoran waved her down, indicating it was fine.

"Just leave it there for now then. Arrange for people to have it sent to my place though."

"Understood," and with that she quietly left his office.

Somehow, it was a little late to still be receiving gifts and this made Syaoran curious as to who sent them. And why was it sent to Sakura's office instead of directly to their now-shared place?

His curiosity getting the best of him, he pushed away from his desk and went ahead to check the card resting on the flowers.

_To Mr. & Mrs. Li Xiao Lang,_

_Congratulations!_

_We wish you all the happiness in the world._

– _Kentaro Hashimoto & the Morita Family –_

Syaoran's brows shot up. Two familiar names again. He already knew the identity of the Moritas from Sakura and what he himself dug up but he still didn't know who this Kentaro Hashimoto was. Probably still an old friend of her father's? They did send the bouquet together.

Without a second's consideration, he returned to his seat and started typing onto the keyboard of his computer. He already decided to trust Sakura and not repeat what he did with what happened with Naoki Morita. Besides, he didn't think he could stand the guilt of having another background search done of someone Sakura knew behind her back when it was nothing.

"Hashimoto, Kentaro," Syaoran muttered under his breath as he typed the name onto the search bar. The moment he entered it, however, brought up a _lot_ of links to a lot of people. Both names were fairly common.

He redid the search but this time with "Tomoeda" typed next to the name. If the man knew the Morita family and sent a gift alongside them, chances are they came from the same town, right?

The results this time were much narrowed down and Syaoran knew he got the right person because the first few links that came up were related.

"Lawyer?"

But just then,an oh-so-familiar (and annoying as hell) knock came from his door.

"Go away," Syaoran said in a loud voice and the oh-so-familiar voice outside chuckled audibly before entering the premises.

"This is the first time I see you since you left on your honeymoon and this is what I get?"

"I'm busy."

"I'm not," Eriol said as if that settled the matter before closing the door behind him.

"Go visit Tomoyo then."

"Well that was what I planned but _your_ _wife _stole her away from me," he accused and sighed. "It's her day off and I even cleared my day before hand so I can spend the whole day with her. But she told me we'll just meet in the afternoon instead because _your_ _wife_ asked for her help."

Syaoran smirked. He liked the sound of it whenever Eriol said "your wife" and he said it with much emphasis too.

And Eriol knew exactly what he was thinking for he rolled his eyes before settling himself on the couch as he usually did.

"Woah, that's one big bouquet. Admirer? I have to remind you that you're a married man now. It wouldn't do you any good to cheat on _your wife_ when you only just got back from your honeymoon," he teased as he absently took the already open card Syaoran abandoned next to the bouquet to read.

Before Syaoran could retort, however, Eriol spoke again.

"Oh, Sakura's father's lawyer sent these?"

Syaoran looked over at him in surprise.

"And the Morita family too, that's nice of them," he added offhandedly.

"Why the hell do you know who her dad's lawyer is?"

Eriol looked up, startled. "I told you on the day of your wedding. I found out a bit about Sakura's past."

"But why her father's lawyer?"

"Because he was involved."

"Was Sakura in some sort of trouble to be involved with him?"

"Nothing like that," Eriol reassured. "I don't know the exact details where he's concerned but it was just some business regarding her father, that's all."

What Eriol was saying didn't exactly reassure Syaoran. Sure he told Eriol that he was confident with his relationship with Sakura during their talk on his wedding day but he would be lying if he said that Eriol's actions then didn't concern him.

"I have Mr. Hashimoto's contact number if you want to give him a call to thank him for the flowers."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Lan_ - means "Orchid" in Chinese (actually it's _Lan Hua)_.

Oh, and _Yin_- Syaoran's parents' dog -means "Silver." I couldn't think of anything else and it sounds cute, so there.

Syaoran's family is Chinese so that explains the names. Though to be honest, I don't even know if these are appropriate names for dogs. Gah.

Also, I'm not Chinese. I did learn how to speak/write the language (compulsory class back in my elementary through high school years though I forgot most of it by now, not to mention I kinda took the subject lightly back then :p)... but I'm not too sure how to _write_ it with actual letters from the English alphabet. So it came out as "Ts" instead of "Z"/"J" like you guys said. Please bear with me. _*cries*_

**Raeny**


	18. Unfold

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

**"Unfold"**

* * *

"Today should be the last day," Sakura smiled up at him. "Tomoyo's been a huge help. She's been dropping by to help me after work the last two days too."

Syaoran didn't think that was all too good for Eriol but he chuckled nonetheless.

"I can arrange for everything to be moved here tomorrow morning. Oh, and I might be a late coming home this evening. I have to wait for the manager to arrive so I can return the keys to my apartment and settle the termination of my contract along with the last of the payments."

"Good. So by tomorrow, you're officially living here."

Sakura gave him a look. It wasn't like she'd been using her apartment much the last few months anyway. Syaoran had made sure to keep her in his place 24/7 save for the very rare three or four days a month when she had to stay at her place.

"I'm going to miss having Tomoyo so close though," she admitted with a small frown.

"I can buy out the floor below us and have her and Eriol move in there together if you want."

Her eyes widened at this. She knew he was joking but she also knew that it was entirely possible. I mean, this was- as the public would say -_the _Li Xiao Lang after all.

"If they end up married, that would actually be nice," she said and grinned.

"On second thought, I'll have to think about it. I don't mind Tomoyo but I don't know about having Eriol live so close and in the same building. That sounds like complete torture."

Sakura laughed.

* * *

"Yo!"

"_What is it?"_

"I'm forwarding you that lawyer's number."

"_And here I thought you forgot all about it."_

Eriol couldn't help but roll his eyes. It had only been what? Two? Three days? He had been looking for the file Akiyama had given him at his home but as it turned out, he'd had it in his office drawer buried underneath medical files all this time.

"I'll send you Nao Morita's number as well if you want to give the guy a thank you call too. Unless you want to give your thanks to his son, then you can ask Sakura for her senior's number."

Silence met this statement and Eriol had to stifle a laugh as he forwarded the second contact from his phone.

"_Thanks."_

"No problem!" he replied quite brightly. Syaoran's foul mood always did amuse him.

"_Oh, and Sakura said today will be the last day they'll be packing her stuff from the apartment. So you can have your woman's full attention as soon as tomorrow."_

"Thank you. Please give _your wife_ my sincerest gratitude. Having to share Tomoyo these past few days got me all depressed."

"_Just go get married already."_

With that, Syaoran hung up and Eriol chuckled. It wasn't that he hadn't been considering marrying Tomoyo. He actually had, it just wasn't the time yet, especially not now when their best friends had only just had theirs.

"Eventually," he told himself and spun around on his office chair.

* * *

Sakura kicked the apartment door open all the while trying not to drop the large carton boxes that were folded up under her arms.

Lan gave an excited bark and deftly ran inside when Sakura let go of her leash. She had been taking the puppy with her wherever she went lately ever since she took her out that one time to see Tomoyo.

"Lan! Get come back here a sec will you!" she called after the canine as it ran back and forth. The leash was trailing after her and knocking everything from the boxes on the floor to the walls.

The puppy had taken to Sakura though and had immediately ran back her way when she called even if Sakura knew she didn't actually understand her. But when she did, the leash had slammed onto the legs of the small table in the middle of her otherwise empty living room. The leash had twisted itself around it and when Lan pulled on it to run back to Sakura, she deftly pulled the table along with her.

Dropping everything she was carrying, Sakura practically lunged to catch the large vase, but-

_CRASSSHHH!_

Sakura winced at the sound and the puppy nearby gave a tiny yelp before freezing on the spot. She at least knew she had done something wrong.

With a groan, Sakura looked at the mess on the ground from the scattered flowers to the water surrounding it to the pieces of broken china.

"Lan," she said with a sigh and the puppy looked up at her looking quite guilty for a dog. Her ears and her tail were hanging anyway. Sakura didn't even have the heart to scold her. Instead she bent down and unhooked her leash. "Be careful next time."

With that she proceeded to clean up the mess. Maybe it was her mistake to keep the flowers she had received from Kentaro and the Moritas in her apartment. But then again, Sakura didn't want to keep it in the place she now shared with Syaoran either. It didn't feel right for her because every time she saw it, it reminded her of her primary intentions of being with her current husband. Just the memory of Syaoran handing her the flowers that time days ago was enough to revive her guilt.

Sakura also knew that Syaoran had read the card since the envelope it had come in was torn open. But he never questioned her about it though, much to her relief.

* * *

"Is this it?"

"Yes sir," Josie replied before taking the documents her boss just signed. "I'll return later with the final compilation," she added before bowing and taking her leave.

Syaoran leaned back onto his chair and took out his cell. He may as well make the call he intended to give earlier. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate though. The flowers they sent may have bee addressed to them both but they were sent to Sakura and he was pretty sure Sakura had given her thanks already despite not telling him about it. But he felt like it was the right thing to do… being her husband and all.

With deft fingers, he opened the contact Eriol had sent him earlier that day and pressed a finger on the screen to start the call.

It had only rung around two times before the person on the other end picked up.

"_Hashimoto & Kurata Law Offices, this is Ms. Isobe, Akiko speaking. How may I help you?"_

Syaoran had to try not to sigh exasperatedly. He had expected Eriol to give him the man's personal line _at least_.

"Hello, may I speak to Mr. Kentaro Hashimoto?"

"_May I have your name please?"_

"Mr. Li Xiao Lang." He wasn't personally acquainted with the man but he did send the flowers, he'd at least know it was him after hearing the name, right? "My wife is an acquaintance of his," he added just to be sure.

"_Okay, please hold."_

Music had started playing but it didn't last more than ten seconds or so when an older man's voice started speaking.

_"Mr. LI, good morning! This is Kentaro Hashimoto speaking."_

"Good morning Mr. Hashimoto, I just wanted to personally call and give you my thanks for the flowers you and the Morita family sent the other day."

"_No problem at all. It was the least we could do. Sakura's such a sweet girl and we're really happy it all worked out for her in the end."_

Syaoran didn't quite understand what he meant by this but it was probably how the guy normally expressed his words.

"_She had been troubled for a while. I mean, I don't blame her. The condition her father gave her wasn't something easy to deal with after all. But then even you gave your support on the matter so all's well."_

Now Syaoran really didn't understand what he was talking about. What condition from her father? And what did he mean when he said Syaoran gave his support on the matter? He didn't even know there was a "matter" to deal with.

"Yes, about the condition set by her father," Syaoran started unsurely. He didn't exactly know how to ask about it when he didn't exactly know what he was asking about in the first place.

"_Yes, you don't have to worry about that. I've spoken with Nao, or Mr. Nao Morita I mean. He's the Tomoeda branch's bank manager of the Bank of Japan and he's also the one personally handling the late Fujitaka Kinomoto's account. We spoke and settled matters on the day of your wedding with Sakura. He should know the final details however since he personally handled the transfer."_

"Thank you for the trouble then," Syaoran said, trying to keep his voice casual although his insides had already begun to churn uncomfortably. He still didn't understand what was going on but something was definitely up.

"_You're very welcome Mr. Li. Please don't hesitate to call again if you have anything else to discuss."_

"Yes, goodbye then Mr. Hashimoto."

The man on the other line gave his farewell and hung up, leaving Syaoran to stare at his cell somewhat dumbstruck. From what he had taken from the conversation, it was clear to Syaoran that money was involved. Sakura's father's money to be precise. But why? He personally had nothing to do with Sakura's late father or his money, so why did his lawyer talk as if he had a role to play regarding it?

Syaoran never really did have much patience when it came to serious matters and this was definitely one of those. It somehow involved him after all though without his knowing it.

Without another thought, he proceeded to call on the second number Eriol had given him.

"_Good morning, you have reached Mr. Morita's office from the Bank of Japan's Tomoeda branch. How may I help you?"_

Inwardly, Syaoran felt grateful. At least the call connected within the office of the man he was looking for this time and not the company's main line.

"Good morning, I would like to speak to the bank manager, Mr. Nao Morita."

"_May I know who is calling?"_

"Mr. Li Xiao Lang."

"_Oh! Yes sir, of course, just a moment please!"_

It wasn't hard to notice the woman's voice getting flustered and Syaoran could only assume she knew exactly who he was and why he was calling. Although it was muffled, he could hear people talking in the background.

"_Hello Mr. Li!"_

The voice this time sounded even older but more enthusiastic than Kentaro Hashimoto.

"Good morning. Is this Mr. Nao Morita speaking?"

"_Yes and good morning to you as well. What can I do for you?"_

"I'm simply calling to express my thanks for the flowers your family and Mr. Hashimoto sent the other day."

"_Ah, yes. I'm honored that you gave the time to personally call Mr. Li. But it was the least we could do. Sakura is the beloved daughter of a dear friend after all. It was such a surprise when we found out that she was engaged to be married to _the_ Li Xiao Lang himself." _

Judging from how the man spoke, Syaoran was sure he was a chatty type of person. Normally this would irritate him but at the moment, that was a good thing.

"_Imagine my surprise when Sakura came in with that friend of hers last year. I mean, I already knew she was to be wed to a Li Xiao Lang but it never occurred to me that it meant you of all people."_

The man on the other line laughed heartily but it was the last thing Syaoran felt like doing. Sakura visited Tomoeda months before he even proposed to her so how can they talk about their marriage?

"Mr. Morita, I actually also gave a call to Mr. Hashimoto a few minutes ago to thank him. He mentioned that you handled the transfer of Sakura's father's account."

"_Ah, yes! I haven't spoken to Sakura yet about it but the matter is already settled. The condition of Fujitaka's will was met so I immediately did as he had instructed and transferred the total amount of 300 million yen to Sakura's bank account. The transfer of ownership of Fujitaka's property in England as well as the one here in Tomoeda has also been officially turned over to her name. Kentaro had already filed the necessary documents and had given the official copies to me which I will hand to Sakura when she decides to drop by unless she'll have some other person pick them up for her which is fine too. I understand you two must be busy with one thing or another considering everything."_

Syaoran tried to calm himself. It wouldn't do him any good to jump to conclusions when he didn't exactly know all the necessary details yet. But now he at least knew a large amount of money and properties were involved and that they were successfully transferred to Sakura. What he wanted to know the most was why he was necessary for all this to happen.

"Mr. Morita, about Fujitaka's will," he started hesitantly. "I'd like to know its full contents if possible. I know it hardly matters now but being Sakura's husband, I'm concerned for my wife and I just want to make sure everything's all settled."

"_Ah, well you are directly involved so I suppose there's no harm in confiding in you the details. Would you like me to send you a copy?"_

"Yes, can you fax it to my office as soon as possible?"

"_It's confidential so I'll do it myself."_

"Thank you very much," Syaoran said sincerely before giving him his office's fax number. "I'll be waiting for it then."

"_Alright, thank you again for taking the time to call Mr. Li."_

"No, thank you."

* * *

Sakura checked her cell. No texts or calls. It wasn't like she was expecting anything and it wasn't exactly late but she thought Syaoran would've tried to contact her at least once but he hadn't all day.

"What's wrong?" Tomoyo inquired as she placed a plate of spaghetti carbonara on the table.

"It's nothing," she reassured and pocketed her cell before resuming setting the table. "I'm glad I finally finished packing everything. Sorry you had to help me all this time though Tomoyo."

"It's fine. I actually enjoyed myself. Who knew that much stuff could pile up after a couple of years though."

"I know. I didn't even think I had _that_ much stuff."

"When are the movers getting here?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"You know you could've had a couple of Syaoran's people do all that for you instead of paying for a moving company to do all that."

Sakura shrugged. "If I hire a moving company, it just feels more… official I guess. I don't know… that's just me. I also don't want to bother Syaoran with more unnecessary stuff. He's already a busy man as it is."

"You sure Syaoran won't mind you have dinner with me tonight?"

"I'm sure it's fine. He hadn't tried to call me all day. I won't be surprised if he's still working up until now."

* * *

"Where's Sakura now?" Eriol asked, still frowning and looking very and completely serious which in itself was unusual.

"Who knows," Syaoran answered as he swirled the glass in his hands before downing the rest of its contents and silently picking another bottle from the bar in his office for another refill.

"Talk to her about this Syaoran," he suggested to which Syaoran merely snorted. "I'm serious. Maybe there's some explanation for this."

"I fail to see any. And if I think about it anymore, the more everything makes sense."

Eriol's frown deepened. He had come to Syaoran's office from his (rare) invitation, saying that he had something important to discuss with him. The moment he stepped through the doors, he had already been drinking and looking half murderous, half helpless.

"If I think back on it, Sakura was employed into my personal office around the time of her father's death. That would explain why she's been fairly straightforward with wanting to date me. True, I can't make certain as to why my name is even in her father's will but I have several possible conclusions. One, his father wanted her to marry into a rich family. I know that doesn't really sound convincing since he could've chosen a much more accessible person besides myself. Also, it isn't like they're strapped for money either which takes me to two, Sakura most likely lied to her father about dating me which ended up with my name on his will. That makes much more sense, don't you think?"

"Maybe," Eriol replied. He really didn't want to add more fuel to the fire going on inside his best friend but in his opinion, what he had just said did make sense. And if he himself thought about it, all those times he heard Tomoyo talk to and about Sakura fit this situation very well. So this was the marriage thing they were talking about on the phone those many months ago.

This realization did nothing for Eriol but depress him though for it meant that his own girlfriend knew just what Sakura had been plotting from the start and that she had supported it all this time. Sure Tomoyo didn't know that Eriol was Syaoran's best friend at the time but still, how can she blindly support something as conniving as this? Going so far as marriage just to get money? Really?

Eriol didn't realize his fists had tightened to vice-like grips until he heard the file in his hands crumple. He tried to smooth out the fax paper though it wasn't like he was interested in reading its contents again. Fujitaka's will was clear and straightforward, a ten year old would've understood it the first time it was read.

What he was concerned now is what would happen to Syaoran and Sakura. This was a big blow to Syaoran not only to his image for ending up married to a scheming woman, but also emotionally for he knew just how deep his feelings ran for her.

"Have you read everything?" Syaoran suddenly asked.

"Do I have to? I get the point without having to," he said rather bitterly.

Sure he wasn't affected by this as much as Syaoran but he had gotten a hint of something wrong going on. If he had done some further digging on the matter, he could've found out enough to at least delay their wedding or something. The thought of that really hurt his pride. He had been so close to making a difference. Things wouldn't have gotten this bad if he had.

"The last pages are instructions from Fujitaka Kinomoto in the event Sakura didn't get married to me."

Eriol rifled through the pages until he reached what Syaoran meant. It wasn't a continuation from the will but seemed more like a second part since the last page had Fujitaka's signature yet again just like the first part. These instructions must have been given separately is what he thought.

The second part was more detailed than the one Eriol had read earlier but it had a lot of different schools, groups, and institutions listed with a large amount of money written next to it. This ran a few pages.

"Three hundred million yen," Syaoran spoke again. "I could've just given Sakura that amount if she asked me. It also states that the properties her father owned would have still gone to Sakura even if she hadn't married me but it's just that the money would've been donated to the organizations and companies on that list with a portion of it left to her. But apparently she isn't satisfied with that much and would rather have all of it for herself than have some part of it given to a just cause instead. Even I didn't know she was _that_ kind of person. I think I might have just married the worst possible female in the world. She makes those gold diggers and fame whores I've previously dated seem like outstanding women."

"What are you gonna do about all this? If it gets out…" Eriol trailed away. It wasn't exactly the time to mention Syaoran's reputation but it was something that needed to be considered.

"I already took care of it," he said much to Eriol's surprise. He had been there since late in the afternoon and had been with Syaoran since but he hadn't made a call or given any instructions so he must've done something before he arrived. That wasn't good. Syaoran wasn't thinking properly since he had just dealt this huge blow and Eriol was quite sure he couldn't have done something remotely rational.

"What did you do?"

Syaoran merely shrugged.

* * *

"We're home," Sakura told Lan as she ruffled her fur before settling her down free of her leash on the floor of Syaoran's- or rather _their_ –apartment. "Syaoran?" she called out into the silent space. It was dark than it usually would be if he were there. "Not home, huh."

It wasn't unusual for Syaoran to stay at the office late but he would usually tell her beforehand if he did though.

She was about to head to the bedroom when the doorbell rung behind her. Half expecting Syaoran, Sakura opened it only to be face to face with one of Syaoran's bodyguards. She wasn't exactly acquainted with anyone from Syaoran's security team but she was fairly certain that this guy was the one in charge. She had seen Syaoran talk to him personally a number of times before.

"Ma'am," he said rather gruffly and handed her an envelope.

"Oh, uhmm… this is?"

"For you."

Without another word, he turned and headed towards the waiting elevator where another one of Syaoran's other bodyguards stood.

Sakura watched as the doors closed and the lights above it indicated they were heading back down the building.

"Okay?" she said, struck dumb at the situation, before closing the apartment door once more. Well now she was 100% sure that those guys were Syaoran's bodyguards. They wouldn't have access to this floor without Syaoran- or herself -if they weren't.

She looked down at the envelope in her hands. It was most likely from Syaoran and it felt like there was nothing inside it. When she opened it to check its contents, there was only one thing inside.

"A check?" she asked herself before pulling the rectangular piece of paper out.

It was indeed a check, and it was addressed to her.

The total amount was for 300,000,000 yen.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Dun dun dunnnn..._ And the plot thickens!

By the way, 300 million yen amounts to more or less 3 million in US dollars.

You may ask why I chose that specific amount, but I have nothing to say except that it's the most realistic sum I could think of at the time of this story's inception. _*shrugs*_

**Raeny**


	19. Moving On

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

_*cries a river*_

Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews! I really do appreciate it. I like reading what you guys think of my story. It gives me a boost as the writer so I'm very grateful you took the time to write one (or more in some cases). I especially appreciate those who left reviews in every chapter. How awesome can you guys get?! _*cries an ocean and forcefully shoves cookies down your throats* _

Okay, okay... I won't make you guys wait any longer.

Onwards!

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

**"Moving On"**

* * *

"What the hell did you do?" Tomoyo shrieked.

"Tomoyo, calm down," Eriol said in a much calmer tone.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" she shouted even louder before turning back to the man who was still sitting behind his desk looking over some document while a stunned- and scandalized -looking Tai was standing next to him in wait.

"Uhm, sir, shall I reschedule the meeting for-"

"No need," Syaoran said before quickly writing a few things on the document and handing it back to her. "Get these organized with the necessary changes and have a copy faxed over to Fiemie's office."

"Yes sir," Tai responded quickly before heading out of the office without a glance at her boss' unexpected and uninvited visitors.

The moment she left, Eriol closed the doors behind her.

"Start talking Li!" Tomoyo shouted immediately.

"Might I remind you that I'm still technically your boss Tomoyo," Syaoran reminded with coolness in his voice.

"Well then, _sir_," she started again, this time more calmly though now dripped with sarcasm, "may you please tell me exactly what you have done to my best friend and colleague that forced her to quit her job and disappear without a word."

It had been six days since Sakura was supposed to be scheduled to return to her job after the two week leave she took for her honeymoon and for settling matters with regards to her apartment. When she failed to show up on the first two days, Tomoyo simply thought she must've fallen ill. On the third day, she grew worried and incessantly sent her text messages and tried to call her multiple times to no avail. And now, on the fourth day, she went to ask their boss, Hizumi, who told her that Sakura had actually sent her resignation into the office by mail over the weekend.

This completely surprised Tomoyo since after knowing Sakura for years, she knew that she hadn't planned on quitting at all. So for the last three days, she kept trying- and failing –to contact her. She knew Sakura wouldn't be in her old apartment because the unit has already been completely cleared out. She had walked pass the building manager accompanied by possible new tenants just the day previous. Racked with worry, she finally thought of calling up Eriol to ask him if he knew anything from Syaoran's end since she couldn't exactly ask Syaoran himself. She didn't have his personal phone number.

That was when Eriol told her everything he knew.

That was also when Tomoyo lost it completely.

So now here they were, in Syaoran's office after Tomoyo stormed up to see him and Eriol skipping his own duties at the hospital to rush after her before she could do anything stupid and possibly out of line.

"I haven't done anything," Syaoran said rather calmly as he glanced at Eriol before looking at the raging Tomoyo.

"If you haven't done anything, then why would Sakura just disappear like that? Eriol told me already. You found out about her father's will," at this Syaoran glared hard at her but Tomoyo wasn't affected in the slightest. "I can imagine the shock that might have put you through but that's hardly cause for concern at the moment. Now where's Sakura?"

"Tomoyo," Eriol spoke up again, this time reproachful. "I know you're concerned over Sakura but you shouldn't say something like that. Syaoran was really affected by this as well."

Tomoyo merely threw a disgusted look at her boyfriend.

"You two have _no idea_ what she went through and the reasons why she had to do what she did to get that money!" she said with her voice and temper rising again.

She was shooting daggers at Eriol and Syaoran in turn before she decidedly fixed her furious gaze on the latter.

"Yes, from your point of view it may seem heartless for her to do that but you are purposely blinding yourself out of spite! Did you take the time to ask her? I bet you didn't, did you? Did you even at least _attempt_ to talk to her about this? Because if you had, I'm pretty damned sure she wouldn't just up and leave like this! Just because you found out about a damned will, you refuse to see _anything_ else and just ignore everything _you_ personally knew about her! You _dated_ her, you _lived_ with her, you even _married_ her! God! She even gave up her first time to you! Would a girl like Sakura do that just for money? You're a damned billionaire, she could've easily gotten that kind of cash from you but she didn't, did she? Isn't it painfully obvious that she had other reasons?! What's disgusting is that you're even neglecting the most essential thing and that's her _love for you_! Hasn't that been obvious all this time that you were together?! Do you think she could fake something like that?"

But she was only met with silence from Syaoran to which Tomoyo gave a sort of frustrated scream before turning to the door.

"Tomoyo, I…" But Eriol trailed away almost instantly. He didn't know what to say after everything she just said.

Indeed what she said was reasonable but the wound on Syaoran's pride- and most of all his heart –was still fresh. Syaoran loved Sakura, no, Eriol was sure that he still did at that very moment. Otherwise, he wouldn't be acting like he had been the past few days.

Ever since Sakura disappeared without a trace, Syaoran's been overworking himself as a means of distraction, and when that was over for the day, he had taken the habit of drinking the night away until sleep took him. All this came to light courtesy of his four secretaries who had immediately informed Eriol when they noticed something was off with their boss.

"If you won't go find Sakura, I will," Tomoyo added without looking at the men behind her and she sounded more composed now although her posture was still tense. "But if you already know where she is, then tell me unless you plan to do something about all this first, which in my opinion is only right. _You_ married her Syaoran. Don't forget your vows unless those were mere words to you which don't amount to much either."

And with that, Tomoyo left, leaving behind her an almost ringing silence.

* * *

"_I, Li Xiao Lang…_

_Promise to offer you my feet, so you may never stray from your path of goodness_

_Promise to offer you my legs, so you may have my strength in times where you need the most support_

_Promise to offer you my hands, so you may have something to hold and encourage yourself_

_Promise to offer you my arms, so you may always be reminded that someone is here to carry you when you falter_

_Promise to offer you my shoulders, so you may feel reassured that you have someone to cry on_

_Promise to offer you my ears, so you may know that I'm always there to listen to anything and everything that is in your mind_

_Promise to offer you my eyes, so you may know that someone is always watching over you to make you feel safe_

_Promise to offer you my lips, so you may always be showered with tender kisses_

___Promise to offer you my mind, so you may rest assured that someone is always thinking of you_

_Promise to offer you my back, so you may have a source of strong comfort_

_Promise to offer you my chest, so you may always have a place where you are welcome_

_Promise to _give_ you my heart, as proof of my undying and never ending love_

_Sakura Kinomoto, I take you as my wife, and in the presence of our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in body, mind, and soul, whether in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and to respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."_

Syaoran held a deadpanned expression as he watched himself on the TV screen gaze lovingly at Sakura.

The Sakura on the screen already looked ready to cry as Syaoran slipped the wedding band into her ring finger but she didn't as she instead turned to Tomoyo for her own vows which were written in a small card much like his own which he had earlier taken from Eriol.

"_I, Sakura Kinomoto…_

_Promise to offer you my feet, so you may always be guided to what is good and right_

_Promise to offer you my legs, so you may know that you have me to support the weight of your hardships when times get rough_

_Promise to offer you my hands, so you may know that someone is always there to lend you help when you need it_

_Promise to offer you my arms, so you may feel the comforts of a warm and loving embrace_

_Promise to offer you my shoulders, so you may have a place to lean on and rest_

_Promise to offer you my ears, so you may know that I'm always there to hear you out without judgment_

_Promise to offer you my eyes, so you may feel reassured, knowing someone is looking over you_

_Promise to offer you my lips, so you may have someone to sing you praises in times of insecurity, and of course, my kisses go with those too_

___Promise to offer you my mind, so you may know that it is filled with no other man but you_

_Promise to offer you my back, so you may know that you have and always will have my trust and support_

_Promise to offer you my chest, so you may have a place of warm solace_

_Promise to _give_ you my heart, as proof of my undying and never ending love_

_Li Xiao Lang, I take you as my husband, and in the presence of our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in body, mind, and soul, whether in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and to respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."_

When the wedding band was securely slipped into Syaoran's ring finger, the camera zoomed out slightly as the priest proudly announced "You may kiss the bride!" to which Syaoran did most earnestly to the awaiting Sakura who raised a hand to cup his face affectionately.

Then the camera zoomed out even further just as the volume of the guests' cheering increased as did the background music that had been playing throughout the recitation of their vows.

Syaoran turned off the TV without bothering to stop the CD from playing. The finished edited video from their wedding had only just been delivered to his place and it couldn't have a worse timing. Tomoyo's words earlier that day were still lingering inside his head and the video he watched (out of pure curiosity is what he told himself earlier) only made the ache in his heart increase exponentially.

Where was Sakura now? When tomorrow came, it would officially be a week since her disappearance and he hadn't made a single attempt to find or follow her.

With a sigh, he dragged his feet as he made his way to his bedroom to change out of his work clothes. He hadn't slept in there ever since Sakura left. He would very much like to but found that he couldn't, that's why he had to result to drinking in the living room until his eyes felt too heavy to stay open and his brain was filled with nothing but an unending buzzing. That was the only time sleep would come.

After he changed, he went over to the dresser right across the room from his bed. It was clear of anything except for four items that were placed in the very middle. He didn't touch it- he never did -but simply looked at it.

Three out of four of these items gave him the happiest thoughts and memories in his entire life, while one out of four of these items gave him the worst. Four out of four of these items reminded him of Sakura.

Syaoran stared at them for a long while, a habit he had already picked up six days ago after seeing the three out of four items for the first time since it was placed there by Sakura before she abandoned them... before she abandoned _him_. The fourth item was something he himself put there.

But the sound of his cell phone ringing outside just then brought him back to reality.

With one last look at the engagement ring, Sakura's wedding band, his own wedding band, and the 300 million yen check which was torn in half right at the middle, he left the room.

* * *

Eriol slowly and gently ran his fingers through Tomoyo's long ashen black locks as her tears continued to run down her pretty face.

They were in her apartment, lounging on her sofa with her clinging to him while she cried. This had become an every night thing ever since Tomoyo found out of Sakura's disappearance. It had been two weeks since.

"This is the longest I've spent without hearing from her," she said in a pained voice and burying her face further against Eriol's chest.

This particular line was also an every night thing.

Eriol didn't say anything. He found it harder to say anything to her where Sakura's concerned the past few days that he's resorted to just keeping quiet and listening instead.

Tomoyo didn't seem to like his silence this night though for she pulled back to look him straight in the eye.

"You guys don't understand her at all," she accused, her face a shade of red though he didn't know why. She was still crying so the bite in her tone like that of when she was telling off Syaoran in his office that one day wasn't present. There had been more sorrow rather than spite in Tomoyo lately.

He smiled sadly at her and shook his head.

"Well it's because it's hard for Sakura to open up about herself. She had a really tough childhood!" she declared rather loudly that Eriol couldn't help wonder if she was slightly drunk.

Eriol turned to look at the kitchen and indeed, a partially empty bottle of tequila was sitting on the counter. She must've taken a couple of shots before he came over. How could he not have noticed? And Tomoyo couldn't exactly hold her liquor either. This was proven on one of the earliest parties he had invited her to where she got drunk off a cake spiked with rum.

"It's so sad Eri!" she wailed emotionally.

"Tomoyo, let's get you to bed."

"I don't want to!" And she tightened her grip around his waist and pushed him back down on the sofa. "I want to talk about Sakura!"

Nothing good could possibly come from arguing with a drunken Tomoyo… regardless of the degree of drunkenness. No good came from arguing with Tomoyo when she's had alcohol. Period. He's learned that the hard way before.

"Okay, I'll listen to you talk about Sakura."

"You see, Sakura had a really tough childhood," she repeated softly.

"How so?" he inquired lightly.

"She was often bullied."

"Huh?" That wasn't something he expected. "Bullied? Why?"

"People around her made fun of her," Tomoyo continued, ignoring his question. "That's why she left her hometown and never went back for years unless she had no other choice. That place has only bad memories for her and because it's a small town, almost everyone knows who she is."

She let out a long sad sigh before hiccuping.

"Hey Eriol, you haven't been to Sakura's apartment, right?"

"No, I haven't," he agreed. She knew this of course but he decided to go along with her without question anyway.

"Her place is so simple. That's why we always hang out here instead since there are more things to do here. She doesn't like spending money on things she thinks are unnecessary."

Eriol thought this wasn't true. Those times he had seen Sakura, she always wore branded clothing, shoes and jewelry. He didn't count those times at events though since he knew they were all provided for by Syaoran.

"I was Sakura's first true friend you know," she said rather proudly. "And now she's gone!"

Tears were streaming down her face once again.

"Where will I find her Eriol? I must find her! Maybe she went back to Tomoeda? No, I doubt it, that place will only torture her. Those damn people making fun of her and bullying her for years. So cruel! There's no way she'd go back to live there."

"What? Why make fun of her? What are you talking about Tomoyo?"

"Don't you go making fun of her too!" she scolded, her face growing redder in anger and from the alcohol.

"I'm not making fun of her," he said patiently and continued to soothingly run his hand through her hair. "Sakura may have had her faults but she is a wonderful person."

"Yes. Yes, she is, isn't she?" She was nodding quite happily as she said this.

"So why did people make fun of her and bully her for years?"

Eriol knew it was hardly fair to interrogate a drunken person for details but the chance to make a difference was right there. Tomoyo obviously knew something about Sakura that he and Syaoran didn't and if this information would change their situation, he'll take it.

"Her family was poor…"

* * *

A month.

That's how long it took for the media to finally pick up on Syaoran's abysmal love life. Although gossip magazines had brought up the topic one or two times around three weeks into Sakura's disappearance, it was only now that the media was in a flurry about it. Speculations ran from Sakura jilting him during their honeymoon to her death spanned the many newspapers, magazines, TV news and talk show channels, and- according to Genevieve -various websites on the worldwide web.

Everyone was curious as to what happened to his newly acquired bride.

Syaoran was prepared for this though. If anything, he was surprised it took them this long to notice Sakura's absence after constantly being spotted out and about with him whether to attend some event or when they went home together before their marriage.

"No, just keep them wondering."

"_But sir, I-"_

"Don't give them any sort of statement. Just leave them hanging," Syaoran ordered with more force.

"_Y-Yes. Understood."_

He sighed and replaced the receiver onto the cradle of his desk phone. Good PR was indeed important but he had already thought of the better option to deal with this. If it was between having the public kept in the dark about what happened between him and Sakura or letting them find out that he and Sakura were finished mere weeks after marriage, the former was definitely a lighter burden.

It won't have a huge blow on his reputation, at any rate.

But he also knew this couldn't last forever, which was why he finally decided on finally looking for Sakura. He only decided this the day previous though and it wasn't to make up with her either but to finally settle everything.

As much as he'd rather keep everything unsettled since it felt easier on his heart that way, his position wouldn't allow it. And as much as he wanted to deny his feelings for Sakura, he couldn't. His feelings for her were hard to erase but staying in this limbo of being with her yet not being with her wasn't doing him any good.

He had to make a move. To whatever end, he had to.

The phone on his desk rang- again.

"Yes?" he said after pressing one of the blinking buttons.

"_Mr. Li, Mr. Morikawa on line two to speak to you."_

"Put him through."

It didn't take long until his lawyer's voice came out of the speakers to which Syaoran picked up the receiver once again. "Morikawa," he greeted simply.

"_I have the papers you asked me to write up, Mr. Li. It's all according to your instructions."_

"Good. Can you deliver the documents to my office before the end of the day? The sooner I look through it, the better. I want this matter settled soon."

"_Yes, I'll drop by your company after lunch so you can check them."_

"Good man. Oh, and Morikawa. Again, make sure this doesn't get out."

"_Of course sir. I'll be discreet."_

"I'll see you this afternoon."

"_Very well sir."_

Just as Syaoran returned the receiver, a simple knocking came from the door.

"Yes?" he called out, wondering who in the world it was. He wasn't expecting anyone and his secretaries would usually inform him through the phone before coming in.

Eriol's head popped in.

"Yo!"

Syaoran gave him a surprised look. Eriol never did anything simply, even his knocks, so entering his office after that kind of greeting felt odd to him.

"What brings you here?"

"Oh I heard from one of your secretaries that you've finally decided to look for Sakura," he said straight out as he took his usual seat.

Syaoran didn't even bother to question which secretary had given him this piece of information. The man already had some hold on his personal staff and he only let that slide because of who Eriol was to him.

"And?" he asked. "What is it to you if I am?"

"Haven't you wondered why I haven't come by to see you for a while?"

"No wonder it's been so peaceful."

Eriol held his hands to his chest in exaggeration. "I'm hurt!"

"How's Tomoyo?" Syaoran asked in a gentler tone. He hadn't spoken to Tomoyo since she raided his office weeks ago nor did he plan to see her any time soon. For one thing, he didn't know what to talk to her about. For another, he knew she'd just bite his head off again. But that didn't mean he wasn't concerned about her. He had gotten into a more friendly relationship with Tomoyo as had Sakura with Eriol for the last few months that Syaoran also knew well enough that Tomoyo only said what she did and did so the way she had out of concern and love for her missing best friend.

Everything she had told him that day actually made a deep impression on him. For all of it was true. Unfortunately, it didn't make the situation any easier for him to handle.

"Much like you," Eriol said with a frown. "Tomoyo's developed the habit of drinking a couple of shots of tequila at night in three day intervals."

Syaoran raised a brow at this.

"Mind you, she's not an experienced drinker so it hasn't been easy to deal with. It hasn't been easy to watch either."

"Then stop her."

"I will if it gets any worse than this. At least she hasn't gone the deep end like you. Still can't sleep without getting your brain fried?"

He didn't answer this which basically meant that it was true.

"This is exactly why I'm glad when I heard that you _finally_ decided to find Sakura," he added with a sigh before lying down across the couch with his arms behind his head. "I don't know what you're going to do when you find her, but this is progress at least."

Silence. What was Syaoran supposed to say to that anyway?

"I got some information from Tomoyo about Sakura and I thought you'd like to know."

"That's surprising. She's always so tightlipped when it came to Sakura."

"These are things I picked up whenever she was drunk."

His brows shot up. "She's going to kill you if she finds out."

Eriol shrugged at this. It didn't really matter much to him. Tomoyo hadn't been normal since Sakura left and he didn't want to live through the current Tomoyo any longer. He wanted his sweet yet feisty girlfriend back. If he had to suffer hell by her to get what he wanted, then it'll be worth it.

Syaoran felt the resolve emanating from his best friend. Even Eriol had been affected by all this after all and he couldn't help but feel bad. He sighed.

"So what did she tell you?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Okay so first off, I'm NOT married. Yes, I've been to a couple of weddings but whenever it was the time to share their vows, it was always the generic _"I, _blah_, take you, _blah_, as my lawfully wedded _blah. _To have and to hold, from this day etc etc...__"and _I didn't even know that _was_ the wedding vow until now.

Google is my friend in this case. I tried to research a couple of original wedding vows. From that, I've come across some odd ones (pirate lingo- Arr~!) to some that were just downright weird (referred the groom's face to that of a butt, I don't know. I stopped reading that particular one after reading the first line).

So... I decided to make up my own instead.

Yes, the vows you read up there in this chapter were written by _moi_ and no, I don't know if you can count it as an actual wedding vow. I don't know the rules to wedding ceremonies so I have no idea. _*sigh*_ At any rate, those are Syaoran and Sakura's wedding vows. I tried making it as sweet as I could and that's what came out of it.

...

Now for my own vows~

I, **Raeny**, take you _my brain_, as my naturally connected body part. To have and to live with, from this day forward- because I have no choice -for better, for worse, for richer with imagination, or poorer from writer's block, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death or amnesia- whichever comes first -do us part.


	20. Revelations

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

Again, a BIG BIG BIG BIGGGGGG _thank you_ for all the reviews you guys left me! I REALLY appreciate them.

As for this chapter, the title says it all so this will be a doozy. I hope you still enjoy it though!

We're nearing the end to this story... just chapter 20 + the epilogue chapter left. Eep!

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

**"Revelations"**

* * *

"Chiharu-sensei!"

Chiharu wiped her hands on the apron around her waist before taking a peak down the narrow hallway in time to see two small children running into the house while excitedly pointing at behind their backs.

"Don't run or you'll hurt yourselves," she reminded them. "What's wrong?"

"There's a man outside asking about who lives here. He says he's looking for someone."

"Okay, I'll take care of it. You two go out back. Naoko-sensei just started gathering up the others."

"Hai!" they chorused before heading towards the entrance to the backyard of the house.

Chiharu then took off her apron to hang it over one of the dining room chairs before making her way out to the already open front door and was immediately met with a tall man with sunglasses.

The clothes he was wearing weren't anything out of place, just a plain forest green shirt underneath a dark gray coat, a pair of well fitted jeans and a pair of sneakers. But somehow, he still looked out of place. He didn't look like he lived anywhere near here. He looked more suited for the pages of a fashion magazine regardless of how average his clothes were styled.

"Uhmm… May I help you?"

"Good afternoon, may I know who the proprietor of this house is?"

"May I know whose asking?" Chiharu inquired. The guy himself didn't look suspicious but it was better to be safe just in case. After all, the house was currently full of children with only three adults, all of whom were women and two of whom were in their 20s.

The man pushed his shades up to settle on his messy chocolate brown hair.

"My name is Li Xiao Lang," he introduced with a smile.

Chiharu could swear she felt her heart skip a beat. He looked even more gorgeous with his entire face in full view.

"A-Ahh… Uhmm…" she stuttered and looking dumbstruck for a moment before thoughts of reason returned to her brain. "W-Wait, eh? Li? Uhmm… A-Are you in any way related to Ms. Li Sakura-san?"

Syaoran didn't know if she liked hearing his wife referred to as "Ms." but he nodded all the same.

"Sakura's my wife."

"Wife!" Chiharu exclaimed in shock before clamping her hand over her mouth. "I-I'm sorry. It's just I didn't know Sakura-san was even married," she admitted. "Are you look-"

"Make way! Make way!"

Syaoran and Chiharu immediately stepped aside as a group of three children ran past.

"Oi! Don't run! How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Sorry sensei!" they shouted without looking back and laughed happily.

Chiharu sighed and was about to talk again when the front gate squeaked. A small girl was standing there on the steps, a hand on the gate as she tried to keep herself steady while trying to catch her breath.

"I… I… lost," she said in a small voice amidst her panting. Then she noticed Syaoran.

To both adults, the stars that appeared in her large eyes was almost apparent.

"A-A prince!" she exclaimed excitedly and sounding even more breathless.

Chiharu gave a tiny cough at this. Truly, it was much easier being a child for she had just voiced Chiharu's exact thoughts when her own eyes landed on Syaoran seconds earlier.

This sound seemed to snap the little girl back to reality though and she immediately made an effort to stand up properly. "Good afternoon! Prince... I-I mean, Mr… Mr…"

"Syaoran," Syaoran supplied with a smile.

"Good afternoon Mr. Syaoran," she greeted again and with a bow this time. "My name is Maekawa, Sakura. I am six years old!"

"Good afternoon Ms. Sakura," he greeted back just as politely. He had to keep the irony from showing in his tone as he said this. The fates are seriously bent on making this experience as painful for him as possible.

But he held his smile though. It was only appropriate to do so after all.

Sakura smiled up at him before turning to Chiharu. "Is Mr. Syaoran a new sensei? Or is Mr. Syaoran someone's daddy?"

"Ah, no, he-" but Chiharu cut off again as children came filing out of the front door in a line.

"Chiharu? What're you- Oh, hello?"

This time it was a woman with short hair and glasses who had appeared.

Naoko looked at Syaoran curiously before turning to Chiharu. "I'm sorry. The kids said you were waiting by the front door and ready to go."

Chiharu threw a look at the 10 kids- now including Sakura -who were standing in a perfect line on the front lawn as they waited. They were throwing occasional glances at Syaoran's direction.

"Err… Sorry but it's my turn to take the kids out," Chiharu told Syaoran as she felt around her pockets until she produced a whistle. Then she turned to Naoko, "I'll be leaving him with you then Naoko. This is Mr. Li, Sakura-san's husband."

This wasn't exactly an adequate explanation but Chiharu settled with that before blowing into the whistle to which the kids started marching with wide grins on their faces as they made their way to the front gate in an orderly fashion.

"Chiharu is one of the instructors here," Naoko suddenly said as the last of the children disappeared from view. "Please come in then Mr. Li."

With that, she stepped inside the house.

Now Syaoran was even more confused. What just happened? And who were these people anyway? But they certainly knew Sakura so he supposed it wouldn't do him any harm to see what was going on. This was the address he got when he had his people look up her whereabouts.

"Excuse me," he finally said as he followed the woman up a set of stairs that led to the narrow landing of the second floor hallway. The house wasn't at all huge. It looked like an average house for an average household of probably three or four people.

Naoko stopped in front of one of the room doors and knocked.

Is this where Sakura is?

"Toyama-san, a Mr. Li is here," she called out.

Or not.

A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a much older woman who was probably in her late 50s or early 60s. Why was he taken here? And who was this older woman?

The woman in question looked at Naoko before looking over at Syaoran.

"Mr. Li Xiao Lang," she greeted with a bow of her head.

"Good afternoon," he greeted back. He didn't even bother to question how she knew who he was exactly with just a single look. The continuous oddness that had happened since he arrived at this house stopped him from bothering voicing out anything.

"I'll take it from here Naoko. Thank you."

Naoko smiled at her then bowed at Syaoran before leaving.

"You caught me at a busy time but please come in Mr. Li," she said as she went back to the sofa she had been occupying.

There were several photographs scattered on the sofa next to where she sat, on the coffee table in front of her and in boxes on the ground. She had obviously been organizing things in there before his arrival. "Sakura said I should keep what I wanted and just throw out anything I didn't but I'm sure she didn't know these were in the closet."

Syaoran sat on the only available chair left which was the overly stuffed seat at the end of the coffee table the woman was working at. The room he was in was- he assumed –this woman's bedroom. There wasn't much in there though. There was a bed situation in the middle of one corner, an old piano organ set against the wall, a wooden sliding door which he assumed was the closet, the small furniture set he was currently sitting at with the woman and a glass sliding door behind her with the curtains drawn to the sides revealing a small balcony outside.

"I have heard a little about you from Sakura," she suddenly said while Syaoran did his assessment of the room. "She didn't tell me she was experiencing any sort of trouble but it was easy enough to pick up after a while."

Syaoran didn't say anything.

"Had you come to take home your wife?" she added without looking at him.

Again, he didn't say anything. It wasn't exactly this woman's business and he didn't exactly know who this woman was at any rate.

"Oh, how could I forget my manners," she suddenly said in a much lighter tone. "My name is Toyama, Nakako. I was Sakura's private tutor when she was a child. I am, however, now retired."

He was impressed that she read him but this did nothing but raise more questions in Syaoran's head.

"Sakura came to me around three weeks ago, asking me if I wanted to help her with a project she recently decided to start. I couldn't help but agree. Retirement just isn't for me yet I suppose," she said with a little laugh. "She even gave me this room to use according to my liking. This used to be Sakura's father's room you know."

"This was Sakura's home?" he asked in surprise. Well, he didn't exactly know a thing about his wife's past so of course he was surprised. He only got this address after he hired people to look for her. This was one of the few possible addresses they gave him but he didn't know what Sakura's relation was to this house.

Toyama nodded. "Sakura had lived in this house for the first twenty two years of her life. After that, her father lived here by himself until he passed last year."

"I see…"

"Oh, is that for Sakura?" she suddenly asked, pointing at the thick envelope Syaoran had been holding this entire time. "Would you like me to give it to her?"

"It's something I have to give to her in person. Anyway, Mrs. Toyama," he started, thinking of something else to talk about, "I didn't know Sakura had a private tutor when she was young. Did she have trouble with her school work or something?"

Syaoran was trying to keep things light between them, and most of all he wanted to steer away the topic from the landmine he was holding in his hands. That was something he definitely didn't want to discuss with anyone but Sakura.

Toyama gave him an odd look, as if Syaoran had grown an extra head.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. It's just that I didn't realize that you didn't know that much about your wife," she said rather ruefully.

It wasn't like he could help it. Sakura refused to talk about her past anyway. Not that he tried very hard to find out. He knew that with a little digging on his part, it would have been easy to uncover his wife's secrets but that wouldn't exactly be right either which is why he never did anything of the sort. Of course now he regretted it seeing as his ignorance of her past was what was causing the trouble.

"Did you know, Mr. Li, that Sakura's family had been poor for the most part of her childhood?"

He nodded at this. Eriol had told him just the other day that Sakura grew up with only her father and had lived in poverty. Also that she wasn't able to go to school at some point because of this and had also been bullied rather badly.

"But you don't know why?"

"No, I don't."

Toyama smiled sadly and started looking for something amongst the photos. It took a while but she finally found what she was looking for and handed it to Syaoran.

The photo was of a young Fujitaka Kinomoto, a young beautiful woman whom he could only guess was Sakura's mother and a tiny baby bundled up in blanket in her arms.

"Sakura's mother, Nadeshiko, passed away before Sakura turned two. I never met her but Sakura's father talked about her often enough for me to feel like I actually knew her. She was lovely and kind, much like Sakura is now but she was ill. Very ill. She had a disease in its final stages but Fujitaka, the kind of man that he was, did his utmost to help her. This was how the Kinomoto family got themselves into financial trouble. Nadeshiko spent more than a year in the hospital before she finally passed, and there was no way a regular household like the Kinomotos who only had Fujitaka as their means of income could pay the hospital fees. So Fujitaka borrowed money with promises to give them back, which of course he did in due time. But the debts were too plentiful and he only worked as a professor's assistant back then and that was hardly enough."

Syaoran listened with rapt attention. He clearly wasn't aware of any of these things she was talking about. Even Eriol didn't know any details. Sure he told him about a few of what Sakura had gone through before she moved to Tokyo but it was hardly anything informative. He should still be grateful though, because if it weren't for the things he had said, he wouldn't have bothered to make the effort to come here in person in the first place. He had originally planned for his lawyer to deliver the envelope he had brought.

"When Sakura turned eight years old, she had to quit school. Her father couldn't afford it. All the money he had was enough to pay for food on their table, a roof over their heads, and to maintain the steady payments he was making for all the loans he made. That was when the teasing and bullying came about. Neighborhood children mocked Sakura for her inability to read or write properly. She wasn't altogether illiterate since Fujitaka did his utmost in his rare free time to home-school her. But considering their situation, Fujitaka had to work small odd jobs to help pay their debts so he hardly had time to actually invest on teaching Sakura anything. So in the end she still lacked the appropriate level of education for kids her age. And with this, kids- being as they are -made fun of her without regard for her feelings. This lasted for roughly a year until Fujitaka took notice that his daughter had gotten gloomier and more miserable. It was also around that time that I met him. I heard about his family and the pain they went through. Tomoeda isn't a big town so talk spreads fast and easy. I provided my services then. On my free time, I came over to tutor Sakura. But by then, the damage had already been done. Sakura had already withdrawn a considerable degree from having suffered so much. She was only a child after all, the trauma must have been deep and I was hardly qualified to give proper counsel. But I was patient, I came regularly and did what I can to coax her into trusting me and letting me help her. This took a while, and when she finally did, I started teaching her little by little and slowly. Time passed and Fujitaka finally got his big break, the professor at the college he worked at invited him along for an expedition and it was a success. With that, he not only paid off what was left of his remaining debts, but he had enough to enroll Sakura into school again."

Toyama then smiled rather fondly. As if a pleasant memory had crossed her mind and Syaoran can only imagine it must have been a ten year old or so Sakura's face brimming with happiness.

"But it wasn't so simple," she continued and a tear escaped her eye. "Yes I had tutored Sakura a few things but it was hardly enough to suit a child her age. She had turned eleven by then but her educational level was still that of a nine year old. When Fujitaka had her resume school, she only managed to get enrolled into the fourth grade so she was a year older than her classmates. This as well as her history amongst the kids in Tomoeda was enough to cause the bullying to start again. Don't get me wrong though, not everyone bullied her, but those who didn't just avoided her completely. There was hardly anything the teachers could do to help and Sakura refused to stop school for that reason either. She wanted to learn, that much was clear. But she got held back a year in the end and with that came another reason for the kids to make fun of her."

It was an unconscious act. Syaoran didn't know his fists were balled so tight in anger until he felt the pain of his nails digging into his palms.

What the hell? How in the world could anyone do such a thing to a child? Sure the ones bullying her and making her miserable were also children, but still… if he had been around, he'd probably hit those kids where it hurts most. And their parents as well for not instilling proper discipline on them! No matter how hurt or angry he felt at Sakura after what she did to him, he still thought even she didn't deserve a childhood like that.

"Sakura persisted after that. She tried her best and although she got promoted to the sixth grade, by then she had become a loner and refused to interact with anyone except for myself, her father, and a select few of her father's old friends. This also resulted in her diligence. Even during summer breaks, she worked hard to learn as fast as she could as much as she could. So by the start of her high school years, through her own hard work and grit she managed to get herself promoted from taking a proficiency exam. She got back the two years wasted and was enrolled into a class with those her age. Then she graduated, though still alone, friendless, and with her history and trauma still hanging over her head. This continued even well into college. Like I said, this town is rather small. Everyone practically knows everyone so it's hard to escape from anything, even your own shadow. I had only tutored Sakura until high school because I moved for a short period after that. When I came back, I met Fujitaka and he told me that Sakura had graduated from college with top marks and had since moved to Tokyo. Around that time, he told me that Sakura hadn't come back once to Tomoeda in two years."

Silence fell between them as Syaoran let all the information sink in and Toyama tried to get her emotions under control though it looked like another tear was threatening to escape.

He really didn't know any of this. Sakura had gone through this much and he didn't know a single thing about it. And now that he did, all the little things that didn't make sense about Sakura started to become understandable.

From the beginning, he had always been impressed at how accomplished she was for her age. When he read her profile before he hired her as his secretary, he had always wondered how she managed to be involved in all sorts of organizations and classes that were listed on it. Then that was because of her self-motivation. And she didn't have friends back then so that meant she didn't waste her time on the usual things friends do in their spare time. Her spare time was probably spent with constant studying and participating on extra lessons.

When he first went to Sakura's apartment, he had also been curious as to why the things she owned were simply practical. Her furniture was simple and usable. She hardly had anything decorative in her home that would usually be otherwise useless. Then that was because she didn't bother wasting money on things that she deemed unnecessary.

Her present sense of style and her extensive collection of fashion-related goods, were also- quite obviously now -a result of her childhood trauma. She had been bullied and made fun of because she had been poor and couldn't afford the things she can now. So she's been spending her money on such things that she can show off, to prove to the world of how much she had grown, how much better she was now, and how they now didn't have the right to make fun of her.

The fact that she doesn't have a single friend except Tomoyo and the fact that she hadn't dated anyone except himself… these too were byproducts of her wretched past. If it weren't for Tomoyo's personality and the fact that they were forced to work side by side and see each other at work constantly, he doubted she could've become so close with Sakura. He couldn't even imagine just how long it took for Tomoyo to win Sakura's friendship and along with it, her trust. It was also no wonder that Tomoyo cherished Sakura in a more than usual manner for being just girl friends.

As for him, if it weren't for Fujitaka's will, he doubted he would ever have experienced any of the things- good and bad –with Sakura. It was, after all, her persistence that made Syaoran consider getting close to her and that was all because she was pushed to do so to fulfill her father's conditions. It wouldn't have been surprising if she ended up old and gray and completely alone if not for the existence of the will.

Now, for Fujitaka Kinomoto's money… Syaoran finally understood. If Sakura and her family did go through that kind of past together, if her father managed to get that amount of money saved up, Syaoran could only assume that Fujitaka Kinomoto was just like her daughter. After experiencing a life of poverty and hardship, he developed a manner of only ever spending on necessities. How else could he manage to reach such an amount after all? So that's probably why Sakura wanted that money very much. It wasn't because of the large amount, it was because of its hidden value which she herself knows and understands firsthand. Her father worked hard to get that, of course she wouldn't want it to be given away.

"Mrs. Toyama, do you know about Fujitaka's will?"

The older woman looked at him questioningly at first then shook her head.

Some things still didn't make sense to him. If all his thoughts and assumptions were true and Sakura truly was the kindhearted person that she was, then why couldn't she just let the money go to all those organizations listed in Fujitaka's will? Sure, it wouldn't be kept within the family but the money would still go to a good cause regardless and that's not exactly anything bad. What would she do with the money anyway if she kept it for herself?

Syaoran knew it was only one tiny negative detail out of many positive ones. It was probably his own bitterness at the fact that she only approached him to get her father's money that he wanted to keep at least one fault on Sakura. Otherwise, what he had done to her and what he was about to do to her, would just backfire on him and make him feel like the biggest idiot and jerk on the planet.

"I don't know anything about Fujitaka's will but then money would surely be involved, correct? I mean, Fujitaka's accomplishments over the years must mean he had gotten quite a bit of money," she said looking even more thoughtful. "Then that must be why Sakura had been giving so much lately."

"Giving?" Syaoran echoed.

Toyama nodded.

"Sakura came here a few weeks ago and had since donated large sums of money to different sorts of institutions. Mostly to hospitals, local clinics, the orphanage, schools, and also even to smaller groups and organizations. That isn't limited to Tomoeda though, but also to neighboring towns. She's been donating so much it's a wonder she still has any left."

Syaoran frowned. "Why?" He felt almost stupid for asking. Somehow he already knew the answer. Just that he needed someone to voice it out for him.

"Because that's who Sakura is," she answered quite simply with another fond smile on her face. "After what she went through, I doubt she'd want others to experience it too. She actually turned this house into a free learning center for the local kids whose families are low on funds. That's the reason why there were a couple of them here just now. Chiharu-san and Naoko-san were hired by Sakura along with me as instructors. We have regular activities indoors and out, the kids get snacks, and it's all free. Sakura pays for our salaries as well as everything else we need."

If Sakura ended up using her father's money this way or donating for a just cause exactly as her father originally planned on doing if she didn't end up marrying him, then why bother trying to get the money in the first place?!

His head was pounding. Although he had gotten the answers to almost all his questions and curiosities about Sakura, he didn't feel any better. If anything, he felt worse. He needed to reconfirm the contents of that will. Something definitely wasn't right. If he knew Sakura (and he liked to think that he did), she would definitely have willingly given up the money if she knew where it was going to... right?

"Excuse me. I need to step out for a while."

* * *

"Come in," Nao called out after the knocking.

"Morita-san, a call for you." It was his secretary and she as talking in a low voice and looking quite happy.

"Who is it?"

"It's Mr. Li!" she announced. This was officially the second time the big shot businessman called their office and it obviously pleased the staff. Nothing exciting ever does happen in this place.

"Connect him immediately!" he said to which his secretary darted back outside. This was only appropriate. The first time he called he had darted to his secretary's telephone outside unthinkingly out of surprise at his sudden call.

The telephone on his desk didn't even complete a full ring when he answered it.

"Mr. Li!" he greeted. "Good afternoon!"

"_Mr. Morita, good afternoon."_

"How may I help you?"

"_I'd like to make an inquiry about Sakura's father's will you had faxed to me some weeks ago."_

"Yes, of course. What about the will?"

"_I'd like to know if Sakura knew of its full contents. That is to say, was she aware where her father's money was going if she didn't inherit it?"_

"Ah," Nao replied in understanding. "No, no. The second part of the will was completely confidential between Fujitaka and myself. Those were instructions that he had personally given me in the event that Sakura doesn't marry you before the set date. He told me I can only tell Sakura of its contents after the deadline was over. However, to this day, Sakura still doesn't know about it. She hasn't come to see me so I never got the chance to tell her."

There was a long pause then.

"_I see…"_

"Is there some problem I can help you with?" Nao offered. He had read and had seen the news lately and he had heard of Sakura's disappearance or estrangement, or whatever it was that was really going on between her and Syaoran.

"_No, that's all I wanted to know. Thank you for telling me."_

"But I did get a quick call from Sakura though!" he added hastily. Something wrong was definitely going on between these two and although he didn't know what, he couldn't just feign ignorance of everything after all.

"_When was this?"_

Nao couldn't help but smile at the interested tone in Syaoran's voice.

"Just a few days ago. She called in to ask about the deed for Fujitaka's property in England. I can't be too sure but by the sound of it, I think she plans on selling it."

"_Did she give any hint as to why?"_

"She didn't give any details but she was saying something about donating money for some organization or two," he said before he took a more serious tone. "I'm not sure what Sakura is doing exactly Mr. Li but you are her husband so I thought you might like to know. We've been getting frequent calls from various people and organizations about checks being issued to them with large sums of money from your wife."

Silence.

"Now I know it has nothing to do with me but she is still the daughter of an old friend of mine. And although this activity is from her personal bank account and doesn't exactly directly involve your own finances, I just thought it'd be something you should be aware of. True her father had originally arranged his money to go the same way but there was at least a little left for her own personal use to support her. It worries me that she's spending almost everything in its entirety. I know she's not exactly wasting money since the organizations and companies she had donated to are quite reputable and its all for a good cause, but the fact that she's draining so much of her account and so quickly is something- I think –worth looking into."

"_Yes, it is. Again, thank you Mr. Morita. You've been a big help."_

"You're welcome. Oh, and I hope you two will make up soon." He just couldn't help himself.

* * *

"I…"

Syaoran fell silent at the old man's words for a while.

"_Hmm?"_

"I hope so too. Again, thank you." And with that, he ended the call and pocketed his cell.

He ran a frustrated hand through his unruly hair. It was his mistake. Sure, Sakura wasn't altogether innocent in this whole ordeal but it was his fault that it had gotten _this_ out of hand. If he had only stopped to try and see reason instead of going ahead and sending her that damned 300 million yen check, if only he had given her the chance to explain herself…

"Damn," Syaoran cursed and banged his fist on the wall next to him.

"Mr. Li?"

He turned to the front door which had then opened to reveal Toyama and she was holding on the envelope he had brought with him. That had been his primary objective for coming all the way out here but he completely forgot about it.

"I thought you had left. You left this upstairs."

"I'm sorry, I need to go. Please throw that away for me," he said with a smile and a bow at the woman. "Thank you for today, for everything you told me. I really appreciate it."

Then he turned to leave.

Toyama watched as he walked in quick steps out the gate, down the short steps, and around the corner onto the street.

"Oh? He left?" Naoko asked as she came up behind the older woman. "What did he come here for Toyama-san?"

But she didn't answer right away. She was looking at the front page of the documents she was holding. Naoko intended to take a peek but Toyama had already pushed the contents back inside the envelope it came from.

"To recover something he thought he lost," the older woman finally said with a smile.

"He lost something?" Naoko asked, confused.

"No, he didn't. He thought he did but he realized that it had never left him from the start," she answered with a little titter. "By the way Naoko, do we have a paper shredder?"

"Yes. It's fairly old though. I think you can only shred three pages at a time at most."

"Ah, that's fine."

"What do you need to shred?"

"It's nothing, just some useless papers," Toyama said offhandedly.

"I see."

"Useless divorce papers," she corrected in a happier tone though in barely a whisper that even Naoko couldn't hear.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So much infoooooo.! I know.

As much as I didn't want all the stuff I wrote in this chapter to end in long paragraphs, it couldn't be helped. This chapter holds all the hidden stuff from Sakura's past so I had to lay it all down like that.

This chapter is titled "Revelations" for a reason and yes, all the little stuff from earlier/older chapters were written as it was for a reason. Hazaaahh! That refreshing feeling of tying loose ends. I can die happy now.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Tell me what you all think?

'Til the next update!

**Raeny**


	21. Efforts Made

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

I was supposed to upload this chapter last night but things (my boyfriend) got in the way and I got sidetracked. Gah.

Anyway, it's here now.. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

**"Efforts Made"**

* * *

"Lan! Come on, we're leaving!" Sakura called out into the house.

The fluffy white Shih Tzu was the only thing she had left that reminded her of Syaoran or her old life in Tokyo. She actually considered leaving her as well since she was given to her from Syaoran but she didn't want to add taking care of an untrained puppy to Syaoran's burdens. She couldn't bare leaving her in a pound or anywhere like it either. So she took Lan with her and she served as a living reminder for Sakura of her mistakes.

"Is that really all that's left of your luggage Sakura?" Chiharu asked looking at the singular roller bag. The last time she visited them, she had another large bag with her. And during her visit before that, she had three other bags. And before that, even more so.

"Mhmm, I've already done away with the others," she said and nudged at Chiharu with a grin. "I told you I was serious."

Chiharu sighed exaggeratedly then shrugged. "I don't think I'll ever understand. All those shoes, and bags, and… Ughhh! You should've given them to me!"

They all laughed at this just as Lan came bounding out the house after her run.

"I'll put the leash on her," Naoko offered and took the pink strap from Sakura. But Lan had other plans as she ran back inside. "Ah? Hey!"

Naoko darted inside, followed by Chiharu who intended to help, after the puppy and Sakura couldn't help but giggle.

"You look better," Toyama observed with a careful look at Sakura.

"I feel better," she admitted. "Uhmm… by the way, did he really…?"

"Yes he did," the older woman said with a wide smile. "He dropped by four days ago."

So what Chiharu and Naoko told her earlier was true. Syaoran really did come. Was she looking for her? The two women didn't say much about his sudden appearance except they thought her husband was drop dead gorgeous. They also told her that he spent quite a bit of time with Toyama. Sakura wanted to question her old tutor about it but decided to wait until she brought it up. But she didn't. Now she was about to leave so she couldn't help but bring it up herself.

"Did he… say anything?"

"I did most of the talking and he left shortly afterwards. But he's a nice man, that husband of yours."

"He is," Sakura agreed happily. She didn't have any business what people thought of Syaoran anymore but she still felt absurdly pleased hearing others compliment him.

"Don't you think you should return?"

Sakura blushed at this. "He… He told you that I left him?"

"No he didn't," she said with a small smile. "Like I said, I did most of the talking. But it was easy enough to assume what happened after a while with you coming by here more often lately than you have the last couple of years and with him suddenly showing up."

"I'm afraid," Sakura admitted. "I'm afraid to face him. I don't know _how_ to face him. A lot of things happened between us and it was mostly my fault for being dishonest. It's only right for him to hate me but… I don't want him to. I know that's a selfish thing to say but… I just love him so much, that's all."

Toyama gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

"It's times like these when you have to be strong. You married him, and he married you. That counts for something, right? Have a little faith in your feelings for each other. I'm not saying you should go see him right this moment, but when the time comes that you do… face him head on and don't run away this time. Okay?"

Sakura nodded at this.

"I will."

* * *

"I'm home," Sakura called out into the small apartment before releasing Lan from her leash.

She placed her purse on top of the large roller bag before heading towards the sofa and sprawling across it tiredly. It had been a busy week. Well, week_s_, to be exact.

Ever since she left Tokyo, she had been busy with a number of things.

First were her possessions. When she cleared out her old apartment, she had already arranged to sell more than half of her collection of shoes, bags, clothes, jewelry, and other things. That was why it took her a full week to settle everything there back then. Luckily for her, everything had been settled before she did her little disappearing act so she only had the couple things she intended to take with her to Syaoran's place to deal with. But even those, she already dealt with by now too and ended up with just one luggage left which she felt was suitable enough for her new lifestyle.

She was a veteran when it came to selling used and branded products. She had been doing it for years after all.

People around her thought she was living a luxurious lifestyle since she always had the latest product from the best of brands but they didn't know that Sakura had always sold most of her things afterwards. When it was spring, she'd start shopping for new things for summer. When it was summer, she stored the things she used during spring and start shopping for autumn, and so on. The things stocked in her old apartment were stored perfectly and in the best possible condition so its value wouldn't drop by the time Sakura resold them online or to her regular buyers. That was how she maintained her appearance without having wasted too much money.

Second, her job. Well, it wasn't exactly a job but she thought of it as such. Since leaving Syaoran's apartment, she went straight to her home in Tomoeda. Where else could she have gone? There was nothing left in her apartment save for a few boxes. So she returned to the dreaded town of her childhood. From there, things sort of just happened. She mailed her resignation to Li Corp. (a rude and very unprofessional way of doing so but she didn't want to risk running into Syaoran) and then had the movers deliver the couple boxes in her apartment to her old home.

She then spent days wallowing in her own misery and self-loathing until she suddenly got continuous phone calls and text messages from Tomoyo. Though she was guilty about not telling her best friend about the situation, she didn't think she had enough nerve to stay away from Syaoran if she had any more connection to him besides the puppy she had brought with her. That's also precisely why she left her engagement ring and wedding ring in his apartment. This was her punishment and she deserved it. She had to break it off completely. But her resolve was still shaky and she didn't think she could stick to it if she had communicated with Tomoyo in any way.

So she started to make her move again. She reorganized the last of her possessions, selling the rest and leaving only the most necessary to keep with her with included a few pairs of footwear, two jeans, two skirts, two dresses, a couple of tops, a couple of jewelry and other accessories, and two purses. From her vast collection, that's all what it came down to. Then she changed her cell phone number. Then she moved out to rent a cheap apartment not too far since she also just decided on what to do with the house and her father's money. Although, admittedly, she also left because of the high chances that people might go there to look for her. In truth, Toyama had told her that a young lady- whom Sakura could only guess was Tomoyo -had come asking if anyone else lived in the house besides herself at some point weeks ago right when the older woman had just moved in. Luckily Sakura had already left by then.

In terms of her father's money, it had been her plan from the beginning to donate most of it to worthy organizations. She had also planned on keeping a portion for herself so she can continue with her buy and sell thing but it wasn't exactly necessary now considering she wasn't living in Tokyo anymore and she didn't exactly have a job that would require a lavish city lifestyle. If she intended to do what she planned on doing now, sneakers would be more necessary than 4-inch heels.

The past few weeks involved visiting all sorts of places around Tomoeda and when that was cleared, neighboring towns. She met with a lot of people that ranged from the very young to the very old. She can't even remember how many organizations and companies she had visited and donated to by now. Because of how far the other places are, that's also one of the reasons why she had to move around often. She only ever stayed in one place for five days or so. After she gave away a portion of her money to the nearby institutions, she would go to another area, rent another apartment there, and start again.

So to speak, she got around. This also made it near impossible for anyone who might be looking for her to track her down.

This was something she both liked and hated. Yes she feared facing Syaoran, but at the same time she wanted so much to see him again.

Lan gave a loud and distinct bark that it rattled Sakura. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed anything else around her.

Her cell phone was ringing.

Sakura clambered to her feet and dashed to her purse. "Hello?"

"_Hello, Mrs. Li?"_

A sharp pang immediately coursed through her at the name just as it always did whenever people addressed her as such.

"Please call me Sakura, and yes?"

"_Of course, Sakura-san. This is Yoshikawa, Sayuri from J&I."_

"Oh," Sakura replied, caught off guard. "Yes, how may I help you Yoshikawa-san?"

"_We received word from our London branch regarding the property which you put up for sale a week ago."_

"Ah, yes? What about it?"

"_There's an interested buyer. They also expressed no objection to the set price so if you have no objections as well, they want to settle the sale as soon as possible."_

Sakura was more stunned than anything else at the moment. She had never been to England, scratch that, she had never been anywhere outside Japan save for that one trip to Hong Kong with Syaoran for their honeymoon. The property her father bought which she currently owned was something she didn't know a thing about. She had never been there nor did she know how the place looked liked. Was there even a house there? Or was it just an empty lot? Why did her father even have a place in England? From the many things her father owned, that was probably the most unusual and out of place of all.

She never considered these things. Not that it interested her in any particular way. It was just one of the things she thought that she may as well let go of together with the many other things she had once owned. That's why she went on and casually got an international Realtor to see to that matter the previous week.

"_Sakura-san?"_

"A-Ah, yes, uhmm… so how do we go about the sale exactly? This is my first time doing this you see."

"_It's not a problem at all. All that you need to prepare is the original deed of the property as proof of ownership. Other necessary paperwork will be handled by our office in conjunction with our London base."_

"I see, very well then." She never knew selling property was this quick and easy. She had actually expected some sort of hassle legal-wise. Not that she wanted any.

"_Oh, and Sakura-san, a representative from the other party will be in Tokyo sometime next week. They're actually flying in from England and they expressed that they would like to meet the current proprietor and have them present during the transaction while they're here. Of course, I will be there with you as well."_

"Okay. That's fine, that won't be a problem."

As much as she didn't want to return to Tokyo, she felt like it would be rather rude if she didn't. What's a short trip to the city compared to the hours of flight time the other person has to go through to get to Japan?

"_Alright then. I'll give you another call in the next few days in regards to the final details of the meeting."_

* * *

A set of dark blue eyes stared at her intently that it was unnerving.

Sakura fidgeted on her seat uncomfortably. How had she gotten into this situation?!

"So your name is Sakura Li?" she asked in flawless English.

"Yes. And your name is Lydia Greyson?"

The young woman sitting in front of her smiled brightly and nodded. "What a relief! You seem to be pretty good at English. I can speak Japanese too but I might be a little rusty. I don't really get an opportunity to speak the language back home, you know?"

"I understand," Sakura said although sounding uncertain.

Was this girl who looked to be fresh out of her teen years really the interested buyer of her father's property in England? She so badly wanted to ask Sayuri about what was going on. And whether or not this was some sort of joke.

"How old are you?" Lydia asked before taking a sip from her orange juice through a straw.

"I'm twenty-seven."

"Ehh! So you're six years older than me? Wow, I thought you were my age! The Japanese are amazing!"

She was speaking in a really loud and excited voice that Sakura was inwardly glad they were in a separate room from the main hall of the restaurant which was full of people due to the lunch time rush.

They weren't in just any room though. They were in the exact room in the exact restaurant in the exact same building where she and Syaoran dined during Christmas Eve, the exact place where he had proposed to her. Sakura didn't know if this was an act of providence from heaven or hell.

Unlike that time where she had dinner here with Syaoran though, there were unoccupied tables around them so Sakura wondered why they were alone in there when it was currently packed outside. As much of a consolation it was that no one else could hear the outrageous manner in which this foreigner she was sitting with was speaking, this was still somehow odd. And why in the world did she ask Sakura's agent and her own companion to leave them anyway?

"Uhmm… Ms. Greyson, may I ask as to what you wanted to speak to me in private about?" Sakura inquired hesitantly.

"Oh it's nothing really," Lydia said as she flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder. "I just wanted to talk to you, woman to woman."

"So this has nothing to do with the property in England that you're buying?"

"About that!" Lydia suddenly said rather ecstatically. "Are you sure you're selling that place?"

This didn't seem like a kind of question a sure buyer would be asking, wasn't it?

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, first of all, the place is gorgeous! And that house has quite a history, I heard."

"History?" Sakura echoed curiously. That was something she didn't know at all. In fact this was the first time she heard that there was even a house on the lot.

Lydia was nodding, a wide smile on her beautiful face.

"The country house is on top of a small hill and it was built by a man long ago in the early years of the Victorian Era. It was for his one and only daughter whom he loved so much. His daughter, though already of marrying age, was said to have refused marriage proposals, opting to only marry a man whom she loves. That is uncommon back then, you see. A good family background, a place in society, men with fortune, and girls with a decent dowry were the only things of concern when it came to marriage. Love between a couple was hardly ever brought into consideration. It just wasn't practical. His daughter was of a strong character though and probably a hopeless romantic at heart. This was something that her family accepted as well considering her parents married out of love. But then her father fell ill. So he built this house quickly before the disease could affect him entirely and eventually take his life as a gift for her that she may find the husband she so desires and deserves and use it in the future together with her own family. When the house was finally completed, he had just enough time to do one last thing, and that was to engrave words deep into thick stones before digging them into the ground to serve as steps that lead from the gate to the entrance of the house. The engraved words formed the final message to her from her father…

_"To my precious daughter_

_You were born from the womb of the woman I love_

_That alone is a mark of our never ending bond_

_You are my treasure which I will hold dear to the end of my days._

_This house is my gift to you, to show you my everlasting affection_

_This isn't a mark of my letting go_

_This is a mark of my pride of having you as a daughter_

_The warmth from this house is the warmth of my love for you._

_In this place I hope you can experience that happiness_

_I hope you will have your own family with the man you love_

_As your father, that is my leading wish._

_For years to come, be with them and spend time with them_

_Under one roof, experience everything together_

_Then cherish each moment together as if it were your last._

_I hope these feelings will pass on to your husband and father of your children_

_That he may love you as his wife and the mother of your children_

_Just as I love your mother and you._

_If he is someone you chose with your heart, then I am not worried_

_All you have to do and never forget to do is to love each other, _forever and always._"_

"Forever and always," Sakura echoed brokenly.

Everything Lydia had just said was heart wrenchingly beautiful. All throughout her little narration, Sakura couldn't help but wonder if her own father had known about this and had meant to express those same words to her as well. That thought made her close to falling into an emotional pit.

But then those last three words struck at Sakura's heart like a knife although in a different way. And that pushed her over the edge completely.

She and Syaoran had exchanged those exact words the night they got engaged in this very room. Was that mere coincidence? Fate?

"Uhmm… Sakura?" Lydia's voice was laced with concern now rather than the dreamlike tone that she had taken as she recalled the message engraved on a set of stones located thousands of miles away. "Are you okay?" She had opened her purse now and was rummaging through its contents. "I'm sure I have tissues here," she said mostly to herself.

Sakura held her hands to her cheeks and had only just then realized that she was crying. It wasn't just a tear or two either. Her tears were falling in earnest.

"I… I'm sorry," she apologized and quickly tried to wipe it away with the back of her hand. "I d-don't know what suddenly came over me. I was just-"

She was saved from having to make up something to explain her rampant tear ducts however as a familiar voice spoke from behind her.

"Okay, that's enough," he said, followed by a long sigh. "Make her feel _moved_ to the point of tears, that was the plan, but you actually went ahead and made her cry her poor heart out!"

Sakura's eyes widened at this. "E... Eriol?"

Eriol's midnight blue gaze which had been looking exasperatedly at Lydia was now turned to her and this time with a gentler feeling behind them. "Hi Sakura, been a while."

"Y-Yes," she stuttered, flabbergasted. What in the world was he doing here? Not only that, he had spoken to Lydia in such a way that made it seem like they were relatively close.

Just then, Lydia finally produced a packet of tissues which she slid across the table in Sakura's direction before looking up at the new arrival.

"That wasn't my fault!" she shouted in defense- and in Japanese -with a pout on her glossy pink lips. "Besides, those were probably tears of joy! Right Sakura?"

"Huh?" was the only thing that came out of Sakura's mouth as she wiped her tears with a tissue she gratefully accepted.

"Anyway, I had it perfectly under control. You shouldn't have come in here and ruined it all," and with that she crossed her arms over her chest.

Eriol gave yet another exasperated sigh.

"Well you are only a student. I shouldn't have expected m-"

"Hey! I'll have you know that I've been cast quite a lot of times already. I've even had leading roles!"

He didn't say anything to this but simply rolled his eyes before turning back to Sakura.

"Sakura, this is Lydia Greyson, twenty one years old and a student at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Incidentally, she's also my cousin from my mother's side of the family."

"Your... cousin?" Sakura repeated, now more amazed at the situation rather than surprised.

"I know, hard to believe, isn't it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lydia had gotten to her feet now and looked ready to pounce on Eriol depending on what his answer to her question was.

"Enough!"

They all froze. But it was only Sakura who broke into a cold sweat the second that oh-so-familiar voice rang across the room.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Okay so I made a _last minute_ change.

This chapter was supposed to be long and wasn't supposed to end here in that cliffhanger-way. But I made a slight alteration so instead of the 20 chapters + epilogue + extra short chapter I wrote up for this story, it'll be 21 chapters + an epilogue instead. So I basically cut out the actual ending of chapter 20 and added the extra short chapter to that to make one extra actual chapter.

Does it make sense? If it doesn't... well damn.

Anyway, you guys will (hopefully) understand by the next chapter!

'Til then, I hope you guys won't hate me for leaving you hanging here. Eek!

Ja ne!

**Raeny**


	22. Forever and Always

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

Thank you for all your wonderful reviews everyone! Yes, I even want to thank those who went on saying how mean I was for the cliffie in the previous chapter. That made me realize how into my story you guys were. It made me happy!

I even considered not uploading anything this week for the sake of torturing you guys. MWAHAHAHAHA!

Just kidding. I wouldn't do that... For now. _*wiggles eyebrows suggestively*_

My evilness aside, here's the next chapter and I hope this will satisfy you somewhat?

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**"Forever and Always"**

* * *

"Oh! Syaoran!" Lydia piped up and bounded towards the man in question. "So how was my performance? I did pretty well, didn't I? Eriol's just blind, right?"

Syaoran sighed and nodded rather halfheartedly.

"You did well, thank you Lydia."

Lydia childishly stuck her tongue at Eriol and Syaoran swore he saw the corner of the man's eye twitch.

"Now you know how I feel when I'm dealing with you," he muttered so only he could here.

"Hey!" Eriol said rather defensively. "I-"

"Anyway," Syaoran continued, deftly cutting him off. "Would you two please leave the room? I'd like to have a private word with _my wife_."

Lydia's features turned to that of teasing so quickly she obviously picked up on the way Syaoran said "my wife" but she didn't have the chance to comment on it as Eriol was already pushing her out of the room in a rather rude fashion.

"Ah, hey! What about my purse?"

Eriol turned on his heel, picked up the bag from Lydia's vacated seat, turned to look at Sakura and mouthed a quick "good luck" before heading out the door with his cousin.

The door clicked behind them and silence washed over the room instantly.

Sakura hastily wiped what remained of her tears from earlier and immediately looked down at her hands.

What was going on? What was she supposed to say? She wasn't prepared for this. Wasn't this supposed to be a meeting for her and the buyer of the house in England? Speaking about the house in England, she wasn't sure if she still wanted to sell it after hearing what Lydia had to say about its history. That is, if what she said was all true and not part of the apparent act she had been doing all this time.

Inwardly, she wondered if she can do a last minute cancellation until she found out more about the house. If it was all real, her father probably bought that house specifically for her because of the meaning it held. She can't possibly let go of it if that were the case.

"It's true you know."

Sakura almost jumped as Syaoran's voice pierced the air around them once again.

"W-What is?" she asked with a trembling voice and still not looking up to meet her husband's gaze.

"What Lydia said, about that house in England. I looked it up myself."

For a moment, Sakura thought if the man was psychic or if her face had given away more than she would have liked.

"I… I see…" her voice trailed away without her wanting it to. She wanted to say something else but what could she say? It felt like ages since she had spoken to Syaoran. She was even surprised that he could speak so casually.

"Sakura."

She stiffened. She didn't even hear him approach but his voice was right behind her now.

"I'm sorry," he said in a low but tender voice.

"No!" she all but screamed as she stood form her chair to turn to look at him.

But this was a mistake.

Syaoran was indeed, right behind her and when she attempted to push back her chair to get on her feet, it actually had barely moved with its legs having been caught against Syaoran's blocking feet.

Sakura gave a small and surprised yelp as she lost her balance but Syaoran had caught her before she fell.

Now it had gotten even more awkward. The chair was still between them but now Sakura had her hands on Syaoran's shoulders while he had his arms around her to steady her.

"I-I-I," Sakura stuttered, her face now the color of a ripe tomato. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"It's alright," he reassured into her ear in quite possibly the most seductive voice Sakura had ever heard him use. She could only assume that it was because this was the first time in a long while that she heard his voice in such proximity and her brain was probably making her hear things differently from having touched him once again after so long.

"I… You… That is t-to say, uhm… y-you can let go now," she said rather feebly against his chest.

Syaoran smiled at this. He hadn't seen these sides to Sakura in the longest time. The last time he could recall her acting like this, all clumsy and shy, was around the time when she was still vying for his attention.

This fact made him both happy and sad at the same time. He was happy to see this rather cute part of her again, but it saddened him to think if she actually felt that awkward with him again much like how she felt far back in their relationship. He didn't want her to forget the many months they spent after that point in time and how much they developed with each other together to the point of getting married.

"But I don't want to let go," Syaoran admitted and to which Sakura lowered her face even more and rested her forehead against his chest. She didn't say anything. "Sakura?"

She shook her head but still said nothing.

Syaoran used his leg to push the chair to the side so they could stand properly without letting his hold of her go.

"Sakura," he said in a much gentler tone. "I'm so-"

But she cut him off immediately by clamping a hand over his mouth and looking up at him straight in the eyes.

Tears were freely escaping the corner of her eyes and a very pained expression was on her face.

"Please…" she said and her voice matched her expression completely. "Please don't apologize. You shouldn't apologize. You… You did nothing wrong."

Syaoran loosened his hold with one arm, intending to move her hand away from his mouth so he could speak but Sakura only raised her other hand to reinforce the one already keeping him quiet.

"I-It's my fault," she continued, still crying and still very remorseful. "If… If I j-just ignored the will… This… All this wouldn't have happened! I-I wouldn't have hurt you… I wouldn't have b-betrayed you… I… I… I wouldn't have… have…" she trailed away and her lips started to quiver instead. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry… I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry Syaoran. I never meant to hurt you… I never did. It might have all started with that will b-but I… No… It started with me… Because I lied t-to my dad… That's why you got involved in all this! So really it's b-been my fault from the beginning… I l-lied to my father… and I lied t-to you. I deserve to be abandoned. I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Her hands fell. She didn't have any strength left in her. She felt drained. If it weren't for Syaoran's strong arms that were carrying her weight at that very moment, she knew she would have fallen onto the cold tiled floor.

Sakura cried. For how long, she didn't know. But Syaoran stood there without moving and without letting her go. If anything, his grip around her had gotten tighter as the minutes passed.

When her sobs finally started to calm down into light gasps which later became tiny hiccups, he finally loosened his grip and with his thumb and index finger, tipped her head up so she could look at him.

"Sakura," he started again, his voice even gentler than it was before that Sakura felt her heart break. She didn't deserve to be spoken like this at all! "Sakura, please forgive yourself because I already forgive you- and no don't look at me like that. It's my choice whether I should forgive you or not, right? And I do. So I wish you'd forgive yourself too."

Sakura shook her head and her lips had started to quiver again.

"Please don't cry. I already know the whole story. It might have taken some time for me to get around, but I did. I just hope you'll forgive me too. When I did what I did… I can only imagine how hurt you were since you went so far as to leave without a word. What I did was thoughtless. I was being rash because I got hurt so-"

Sakura was shaking her head furiously this time. "I… I didn't leave because I was hurt form what you did," she admitted in a tiny and hoarse voice but Syaoran understood her. "That... What y-you did doesn't even amount to what I've done a-after all. I left out of g-guilt and… and punishment for myself. I w-was also scared. So I guess my leaving was because of m-my own selfishness. I didn't know h-how I would face you… I didn't know if I _could_ face you. Right now I… I don't even know if I should face you..."

She was about to go back to lowering her head but Syaoran wouldn't let her. He held her there firmly to continue looking up at him.

"Sakura, you're my wife," he reminded. His voice was still gentle but it held a hint of firmness to it now. "Being married comes with troubles, right? This may not be a common issue between married couples but this is just one problem we're made to face. Are you going to run away from me every time we'll have a fight?"

"You… You still want me as y-your wife?" she asked and looking like she was ready to cry again.

"'_For as long as we both shall live,' _remember?" Syaoran quoted with a smile.

Sakura really did burst into tears then and she flung her arms around Syaoran's neck as she cried against his nape while he wrapped his arms around her tightly once again.

"I'm still waiting though," he admitted as he leaned against her smooth hair and breathing in her familiar scent. "I wanted to see you but I didn't want to hear your apology. I wanted so badly to hear something else."

It took a little while for her to do so since she had to try to calm her tears again but she tilted her head slightly just enough to plant her lips on the exposed skin just above his collar.

"I love you... I love you so much Syaoran."

Syaoran's smile came automatically as the words he longed to hear from her finally reached him.

"I love you too," he replied with a satisfied and relieved sigh. "More than anyone else."

Sakura pulled back slightly, enough to look at him straight in the eye.

"Forever and always?"

"Forever and always," he agreed before lowering his head to capture her lips in a sweet, tender kiss.

* * *

"What do you mean?"

Eriol smiled. He hadn't seen her excited and cheerful face in the longest time.

"It means exactly what it means. Sakura's back," he repeated before looking at his watch. "They should be over at Syaoran's place right about now."

* * *

Sakura looked down at the items on the dresser and couldn't help but smile sadly. It looked precisely as it had when she left them there, save for the addition of Syaoran's wedding ring that was half resting on top of hers.

"I haven't touched it since you left," Syaoran said before snaking his arms around her waist from behind and leaning his cheek against the top of her head.

"I'm s-"

"Don't apologize," he reminded, looking at her pointedly through the mirror in front of them.

She gave him a half sad, half laughing smile before he gingerly took Syaoran's wedding band between her fingers and with her other hand, pulled his left hand up in front of them.

"Do you, Li Xiao Lang, _still_ take me, Sakura, to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, to cherish, for as long as we both shall live?"

This might be the most generic of wedding vows that was commonly used between millions of couples across the world but Syaoran thought it didn't feel that way as Sakura said it in her gentlest and most love-filled tone of voice.

"I do," Syaoran answered and gave Sakura a light kiss at the top of her head as she slipped his wedding band back to where it should be, in his left hand ring finger.

In turn, Syaoran took Sakura's wedding band and pulled her left hand up in front of them just as she had done.

"Do you, _Li_ Sakura," he started with distinction that Sakura couldn't help but give a light sound of hilarity. "Take me, Xiao Lang, to be your wedded husband- again -to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, to cherish, for as long as we both shall live?"

"I do," she answered with a smile as he slipped the wedding band into her ring finger.

"May I kiss my bride?" he added with a grin to which she grinned back and tiptoed to meet his kiss halfway.

When they pulled apart, Syaoran kissed the tip her nose, then her forehead before finally pulling back and raising her left hand again.

"Forever and always," he reminded her in a low whisper and slipped her engagement ring into the same ring finger until it rested next to her wedding band.

Sakura laced her fingers with his and nodded in agreement.

Then they kissed again.

It started out as gentle as can be but it didn't take long to become heated and fervent.

Sakura gave a yelp of surprise when Syaoran suddenly lifted her up and pulled her legs around his waist.

"Syaoran," she gasped as he slowly trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck.

Inwardly, he was grateful she was wearing a loose-fitting dress. It was easy enough to pull down the sleeve with one hand and reveal Sakura's undergarments.

His mouth was already working on licking and sucking over the skin of her cleavage while his hold settled on her butt through the hem of her skirt. One hand was slowly sliding up to the smooth bare skin of her back, intending to work on a certain clasp when-

_BANG! BANG! BANNGGG!_

Sakura jumped in surprise and almost fell out of Syaoran's arms if it weren't for his hand already on her back and supporting her.

"_Syaorannn~?!"_

The intimate pair stilled and fell in complete silence.

_BANG! BANG! BANNGGG!_

"_SYAOOOOORAAANNNNNN?!"_

"T-Tomoyo?" Sakura wondered out loud and looking down at her husband who now had his head slumped against her chest.

"I told Eriol _not_ to tell her _yet_," he said with an irritated groan that made her giggle. "I knew I wouldn't get a moment's peace with you if she-"

The banging on the door got louder. It sounded as if the woman outside was ready to knock it down if they didn't open it soon.

"_LI XIAO LANG! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"_

Tomoyo was using Syaoran's full Chinese name. That definitely wasn't a good sign.

"Let's go before she decides to destroy private property," Sakura suggested as she unwrapped her legs from his waist.

Syaoran sighed once again and reluctantly put Sakura back down on her feet all the while grumbling under his breath about "annoying best friends" which made her laugh. She tiptoed and gave him a feather-light kiss on the lips before pulling him with her to the front door. As annoyed as he was with their sudden interruption, he was also quite amazed that Tomoyo's voice carried so clearly considering how large his apartment was.

When the door flew open…

All hope Syaoran had of celebrating their reunion in bed, was lost.

As soon as Tomoyo spotted her best friend, it was as if nothing else and no one else existed. Not even her own boyfriend who had hung back looking guiltily at Syaoran.

"I said not to tell her," Syaoran accused exasperatedly though motioning for him to enter his home. Tomoyo had already bounded inside regardless of the lack of an invitation from the property's owner. Him.

Eriol shrugged. "I couldn't resist the good news." He entered the premises after Syaoran and followed him into the kitchen whereas the two women were already chatting away their way towards the living area.

"Where's Lydia?" Syaoran inquired as he wound around to prepare cups of coffee and tea for all of them.

"Sight-seeing and shopping. Everything charged to my account and later repaid by you. After all, that was the only reason she agreed to do it."

"A plan that _didn't _go as planned. I'll have you pay for half of her expenses."

It was Eriol's turn to grumble but he didn't complain. Indeed the plan Syaoran made for his and Sakura's reunion was more romantic and touching when he ran it through him and his cousin beforehand. It should have ended with a lot more "hearts and flowers" compared to how it actually did with him barging in and making an unplanned appearance.

"Anyway, did you tell Sakura about what's going to happen to the house in England?"

Syaoran shook his head. It wasn't like they were given enough time to discuss much of anything else since they left the restaurant earlier. "I'll tell her later on."

"Ehhh?!"

Both men looked over at Sakura who looked utterly perplexed from something Tomoyo had told her.

"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked.

"Nothing, that is to say…" she turned back to Tomoyo. "Really?"

Tomoyo was nodding enthusiastically at this.

"Really what?" he questioned again as he brought the drinks over to the coffee table.

"Tomoyo said we have to get married again…?"

"Haaa?!" both Syaoran and Eriol said this at the same time with incredulous looks aimed at Tomoyo.

"Is that really how it goes?" Sakura asked, frowning slightly.

"Definitely!" Tomoyo answered before any of the men could put in a word. "You two need to reaffirm your vows after this fiasco."

"I see," the brunette answered with a sincere nod.

Syaoran threw a nasty look at Eriol just then that clearly said "Get a grip on your woman!"

"Tomoyo, I'm sure they don't have to get married again over something as small as this," he said hastily. "They didn't get a divorce or any sort of marriage annulment after all."

"But I saw it on a TV show the other night. It was so touching I was moved to tears! I see why they had to too. I mean, isn't it good for a fresh start? A clean slate… right Sakura?"

Sakura nodded somewhat innocently to which Syaoran had to keep himself from knocking some sense into Tomoyo and her useless boyfriend.

"Hey, I tried," Eriol said rather defensively at Syaoran who was muttering incoherent curses under his breath as he started taking sips of coffee from one of the glasses he had prepared.

Despite the rude intrusion on his alone time with Sakura, Syaoran couldn't help but appreciating the presence of their best friends in the room. The fact that they were there and talking so casually as if it was the most normal thing to do at the moment made everything that happened earlier- heck, everything that happened the entire month previous, feel like an old and almost nonexistent nightmare.

"I'll be right back. Excuse me," Tomoyo said sometime later and left for the bathroom.

It was also at this moment that Eriol scooted forward from his seat somewhat eagerly.

"Sakura, before I forget, I got something for you as a welcome back gift," he said before stuffing his hand into an inside pocket of his coat.

Syaoran looked at him feeling grateful for the unexpected gesture. Well, even Eriol could be thoughtful sometimes.

"I got this from a shop earlier when I was on my way to tell Tomoyo about your return."

He placed a small package which was wrapped in a simple brown paper on the table between them and slid it towards Sakura.

Sakura looked happy but also somewhat guilty. "Thank you but you shouldn't have. I don't deserve any sort of gift at all."

"It's no big deal," Eriol reassured before relaxing back onto the couch and grinning at Syaoran with a pleased look on his face.

This made Syaoran pop an eyebrow at him in suspicion.

Sakura then took that moment to take the package and slowly peel away its wrappings.

But this made Eriol take on a look of horror for some reason.

"W-Wait! You're opening it now?" he asked, his eyes audibly widening.

"Huh? Isn't it only appropriate to do so?" Sakura asked rather blankly just as she managed to completely tear away the wrapper.

"You don't have to open it _now_ though," he said with emphasis as he threw a nervous glance at the man sitting next to him.

Syaoran was even more suspicious now.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Tomoyo asked as she retook her seat next to Sakura.

"Eriol got me a welcome back present," Sakura announced brightly as she opened the plain rectangular box.

"Oh? You're so thoughtful Eri," she gushed with an approving smile aimed at him.

Eriol didn't say anything though. Instead he sunk into his seat looking even more troubled.

"Uhmm… What is this?" Sakura asked him after taking a peek at the contents. "Some sort of exercise thing?"

"Exercise thing?"

Syaoran took another sip from his drink as he motioned for Sakura to give the box him.

Sakura, however, (out of consideration) took the contents of the box out.

They were two metallic balls the size of large marbles and both were connected by a short chain with one of the balls having a sort of long strap on the opposite end.

She held this out to Syaoran…

…who promptly spit out everything inside his mouth.

"Syaoran?! Are you okay?" Sakura inquired worriedly. She took a few of the small square napkins Syaoran had prepared with the coffee and tea but they hardly helped with the mess at all. "I'll go get a towel!"

Eriol groaned and sunk himself deeper into the couch.

Tomoyo sat there momentarily silenced until Sakura was out of earshot as she left in the direction of the bathroom.

"Eri, may I speak to you in private?"

"Uhhh…"

"_Now_ please. It's quite urgent," she said in an overly sweet tone which neither fooled Eriol or Syaoran for that matter. "Syaoran, your bedroom is soundproofed I assume? I would like to borrow it for a minute or two."

"Go ahead," Syaoran said as he tried to wipe the coffee from his now stained shirt. "I don't mind _in the least_."

"Thank you _very much_. Please excuse us for a moment," Tomoyo said as she grabbed Eriol by the wrist and started pulling him after her.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked when the couple walked past her.

"I just need to have a word with Eri about something. No worries!"

Sakura nodded and immediately went back to Syaoran's side to help him wipe down his clothes.

"Ben Wa Balls?! _REALLY_ ERIOL?!"

Tomoyo's shrill voice rang throughout the entire apartment followed by the sound of a door being slammed shut with much force as if it were kicked. Syaoran wouldn't be surprised if Tomoyo actually had kicked the door close.

Sakura stared down the hallway, quite shocked. What happened while she had gone to the bathroom?

"Why is Tomoyo angry at Eriol?" she asked Syaoran rather innocently that all he could do was cough in reply all the while eyeing the object of Tomoyo's anger which was currently hanging from Sakura's wrist. It looked almost obscene dangling there. It was quite clear Sakura had no clue as to what the item was or that hanging it from her wrist was hardly appropriate.

Seriously, what was Eriol thinking? Syaoran couldn't help but wonder just how his best friend's mind actually worked. Then again, this was _Eriol_ they were talking about. He supposed this could hardly be surprising coming from him.

"Oh, and Syaoran?" Sakura added questioningly, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"What are Ben Wa Balls?"

Syaoran, for all that it was worth, determinedly shut his mouth.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So the original ending of chapter 20 was supposed to be at Sakura and Syaoran's lines of "Forever and always" thus ending in a lovey-dovey way instead of the cliffhanger that it was. Whereas the part starting when Eriol called Tomoyo up to the end with the Ben Wa balls were supposed to be an extra chapter I originally labeled as **"Chapter Twenty & 1/2" **mainly because I didn't want to end chapter before the epilogue with a gag... but I ended up changing it anyway and this chapter is the result. I hope it was still enjoyable though.

I might change it up to how I originally wrote it and re-upload this chapter and chapter 20 again later on. So don't be surprised if the order and content of the chapters will change later on if you decide to read this again in the later future.

That aside...

To those of you who- like Sakura -don't know what Ben Wa Balls are...

_*ahem*_

**Ben Wa balls**. They're not _exactly_ sexual items... depending on how you use them. Basically they're these metallic balls the size of large marbles- though they come in a variety of sizes -that girls can insert inside their hoo-ha either for sexual pleasure or stimulation (which, by the way, was Eriol's purpose for giving them to Sakura) or for post-partum mothers who use them to strengthen their loose vajayjay muscles after expelling children down there. Ben wa balls come in different forms. Originally they come in separate pairs, although beginners use balls that have strings or chains for easier removal.

That's it for the lecture about Ben Wa balls! For more information- and hilarious real life experiences from women with these "toys" -Google is your friend! Just don't blame me for taking away your innocence afterwards! _*flips everything in sight*_

All that said, the next update will be the last and final upload for this story. The epilogue! Look forward to it!

Ja ne!

**Raeny**


	23. Epilogue: Happiness

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

**Pairings: **Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo

The official ending is here!

And to answer your comments about the lack of prolonged drama in their reunion in the previous chapter: I know, I know... _*cries*_ When I wrote the previous chapters weeks ago, I was actually well aware of how the drama was building up and when the time came for them to resolve it kinda went poof. Am I making sense? What I'm trying to say is, I know the sudden(?) and quick reconciliation between Syaoran and Sakura was, well... sudden and quick. I know it was hardly satisfying considering the dramatic build-up that led to that point. BUT! I couldn't drag it out too much unless I planned on making the story obnoxiously long. Which I don't and so didn't. It took all that I had to even just _finish_ this story.

I deliberated as I wrote the previous chapter if it was alright (realistically) if they made up that way and my brain told me it's okay to make it so. Thus, the snappy ending and reconciliation. Well, they are married and are adults... it's hardly okay for a married woman to suddenly run away without a word (and without a proper divorce or even a proper goodbye for that matter) for too long.

Therefore, sudden breakup = sudden makeup. That's what I thought and decided anyway. Or maybe I'm just rationalizing to make my writing viable.

ANYWAY... I can't do much about it now unless I plan on rewriting the chapters. So... Onward!

* * *

**Epilogue**

**"Happiness"**

* * *

"Hand it to Eriol to have a big wedding. He was acting more like a gushing bride than Tomoyo."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at this for it was true.

They talked and laughed and kissed in the car while the driver carried on with taking them… wherever he was taking them.

"Syaoran? Are we perhaps lost?" Sakura inquired as she took a peek out the window. This was her first time in this place so she had no clue where they were supposed to be or where they were at that moment for that matter.

Syaoran looked out the window on his side and saw a couple of familiar landmarks he had only seen in person once before. They weren't lost. If anything, they were nearing their destination.

"We're almost there," he told Sakura who nodded mutely as she continued gazing out the window at the beautiful scenery.

It was probably around ten minutes or so later, after the passengers inside the car felt the vehicle climb the inclination of a hill that the driver finally spoke again.

"We have arrived," he announced in a heavy English accent. A few seconds later, the car slowed down to a stop.

Sakura stepped out and immediately, the cool breeze of England's countryside hit her face. The air was very clean and pleasant to breathe in compared to the air of the busy city of Tokyo.

"This is wonderful!" she exclaimed as she looked into the horizon.

They were atop a hill. It wasn't exactly steep but the incline was obvious since it gave them a beautiful view of green grass, the random placement of trees, and fields of flowers in the far distance.

"How in the world did Eriol and Tomoyo find this place? Shouldn't the newlyweds be here instead of us?" she asked Syaoran as he too had exited the car to stand next to her.

"Right about now, I imagine they'd be on a plane on their way to Venice," he guessed. "Eriol did grow up in this country. I doubt he'd want to spend his honeymoon anywhere near here."

Sakura giggled. He was probably right.

"Besides, Eriol didn't arrange for all this. I did," Syaoran added with a grin at his wife who now had a surprised look on her face. "Follow me."

She did as he said and let him lead her with a hand on the small of her back towards the quaint but gorgeous two-story cottage behind them which was surrounded by a garden full of bushes and various flower and these were all fenced in by a low and manicured hedge. It looked like something that came straight out of a children's fairytale book.

A wrought iron gate stood between them which Syaoran pushed open for her.

"This is…" Sakura voice trailed away. She was about to take a step forward onto the property but the stone which provided as the path that led towards the front doors of the cottage from where they stood had a very distinct feature that immediately caught Sakura's attention. "Syaoran, this is…!"

But Syaoran remained silent.

Sakura bent down to make sure of what she was looking at. "To my precious daughter," she read and her voice sounded ready to crack. Her hand immediately flew over her mouth.

The stone after that, and the one after that, all held words, familiar words which she thought she would never get to see and read for herself from its source. The words, which should have lost its clarity over the years as the changes in climate and weather should've worn out the surface of the stones, stood out quite obviously after having some kind of ink or liquid metal written into the grooves.

It was clear to her that they've been properly maintained over the years by its owners as the property was passed down from person to person, family to family.

To this day, Sakura never found out how her father got this house but one thing was clear, he had gotten this for her, his one and only and most precious daughter.

"Go ahead," Syaoran urged with a light push for her to continue on.

Sakura took slow and careful steps as she read the words written by a man many years ago for his daughter and felt its meaning weigh in on her own heart as she thought of her own father.

"Forever and always," she read out the final words on the final stone before landing on the front porch now with a smile on her face.

The door of the cottage was unlocked and when she pushed it open, it revealed an entryway which- from where she stood -immediately revealed a very clean, comfortably warm, and fully furnished living room through an opening to her left. Everything was designed and decorated in an old English style which made it look even more magical in Sakura's opinion.

Sakura was about to check the other rooms further down the hall to see if they were just as beautiful as this one when a lacquer jewelry box on a corner table right by the entrance caught her attention. It looked out of place from everything in there. For one thing, the designs on the outside had intricate cherry blossoms prints on it. It looked, quite obviously, Japan made. Was it from Syaoran?

It was clear that people had come here beforehand to clean and tidy up so he probably put that there as a welcoming gift for her.

Without hesitation, she went ahead and opened it. There was no jewelry inside. Only a small scroll of paper rolled up and tied with a simple string of straw.

She opened it.

The words inside were written in a very tidy- and very familiar -scrawl.

_To my precious daughter,_

_By the time you read this, I will have been gone from this world_

_First, I would like to tell you of how happy I am for having you as a daughter_

_I couldn't have been more proud and more grateful to be blessed with your existence_

_The struggle you went through growing up was something I wish I could have avoided_

_But that experience had made you who you are today_

_That is something I will never regret._

_You have grown into such a strong and beautiful woman with the kindest and gentlest of hearts_

_No happiness could rival what I feel just from knowing this._

_Also, as a father, no words can express my joy of knowing that you have married a man that you love_

_Even if I am not there to see you grow with your new family,_

_Know that I am still very glad for you and couldn't possibly ask for more_

_I will confess, that I had my doubts that day when you first told me about "Li Xiao Lang"_

_But I thought that there had to be a chance, no matter how slight, that this could be it_

_That he could be the one to bring you the love and happiness that you wanted and so deserved._

_So I gave you a little push and I put all my faith and hope into it_

_If what I had done has only caused you trouble, I would have to apologize_

_If what I had done helped you in any way, then I must rescind that apology_

_But if you're reading this now, it means that you have indeed married him_

_And with that, you also have my deepest and heartfelt congratulations_

_I am contented and hope that you are as well._

_Now all that is left is for you to look forward to your future_

_A future which is hopefully full of many more great things_

_A future with your husband, y__our children, y__our new family_

_With them, I sincerely hope you will have eternal love and happiness in the years to come._

_These will be my final words for you…_

_I love you, my dearest Sakura._

_You were, are, and always will be my most precious treasure._

– _Fujitaka Kinomoto –_

Sakura wiped the tears from her face as she read and reread her father's message for her. She thought she could've continued reading it for hours if it weren't for the sudden appearance of an excited canine that was barking happily as it bounded inside the premises and was now jumping around her legs.

"Oi, Lan, calm down already," Syaoran scolded as he too entered through the front door looking exasperated.

The dog only barked even more excitedly before running into the next room and disappearing from sight.

"Hnnng…"

"Ah," Syaoran reacted apologetically as he adjusted the bundle currently resting in his arms.

The appearance of her husband, their child, and their family's pet seemed to heighten Sakura's emotional feelings at that moment.

She looked ready to cry again and Syaoran could hardly miss it as he looked at her and then to what she was holding in her hands.

"I see you found it," he said with a smile.

"Where did this come from? Had this always been here?"

Syaoran shook his head. "I got that from Mr. Hashimoto," he supplied, referring to Fujitaka's old lawyer.

"But… he never told me that my dad left anything else."

"It's because your father left it for me."

"You?"

"That time you left almost two years ago now. I went to see Mr. Hashimoto and Mr. Morita before I arranged to lure you out through Lydia," he admitted rather ruefully. "After Toyama told me everything she knew about you and your father, I knew I had to do something about it. But you were hard to keep track of since you moved around too much so I had to lure you out with Lydia's help. True, her family did intend to buy this place when they found out about it. They had contacted Eriol, asking him if the 'Li, Sakura' from Japan who was putting the place they intend to buy for sale was in any way related to my family. Our families are quite close and they knew I had married a woman named Sakura but they could hardly be sure of the actual identity at the time."

"So this house…?" she trailed away, still unsure of what he was trying to say.

Syaoran nodded. "I arranged to buy this place in place of the Greysons. I intended to just call the entire thing off but the agency who arranged for the transfer seemed to have made an effort in hopes for a sale so I let it push through."

"So, this place is still ours," Sakura said with a relieved but happy smile. All this time she had thought that this place was lost from her completely.

"Not exactly," he said though still smiling. "It's technically… _hers_." And he slightly rose up the little girl who was still dozing in his arms. "Considering the history of this place, I figured it was only right. As much as I wanted to give it back to my wonderful wife, as a father myself, it felt only natural to transfer ownership rights to _my_ _precious daughter_ instead."

Sakura's smile was wide and so genuinely proud at that moment that Syaoran couldn't help but grin widely back.

"You are, indeed, going to be a wonderful father," she said as she walked over to his side to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Aren't I already?" he chuckled.

Sakura simply giggled in response to that before her thoughts went back to the actual topic in hand. He hadn't actually answered her question about her father's message to her.

"But Syaoran, that still doesn't explain this."

"Ah, yes. Like I said, I went to see Mr. Hashimoto and Mr. Morita. It was mainly to ask them questions about you. I still hadn't figured out how to find you at that time and since they were the only people I knew who knew you and your family personally, I went and asked their opinion on where you could be and whether they had any ideas as to where you might go."

"But they didn't know. No one did."

Syaoran nodded again. "But it was at that time when Mr. Hashimoto gave me that box," he said with a nod at the object itself. "He wasn't sure whether or not he should give it to me at the time since he got wind that there was trouble going on between us but it was apparently instructions from your father that he give it to me once we married. I had planned on giving it to you earlier on but I couldn't. What with you just getting back with me then getting pregnant right after along with the adjustments we had to make before and after Mei Lien was born, and the many months it took for Tomoyo and Eriol to plan their too big of a wedding… it was hard to find the right time. When Eriol told me the finality of his plans and that his wedding will take place in England, I thought the right time had finally presented itself and that is now, right here in the house your father originally got for you, with you and me in it, together with our own daughter, and of course Lan."

This was indeed a perfect time to bring something like this up. However, why did her father have the message he wrote for _her_, given to Syaoran?

Syaoran seemed to understand exactly what she was thinking though.

"There were two scrolls in that box. One of it was addressed to me."

"Oh? What did he say to you?"

"I'm not saying," he said with a grin.

Sakura pouted at this.

"I'll let you read mine if you let me read yours," she offered and jutted her brows up and down suggestively.

Syaoran couldn't help but laugh.

His voice was loud though and it effectively woke the child in his arms though and she almost immediately started wriggling restlessly.

"You woke her up," Sakura scolded although none too seriously as she quickly took the toddler into her arms.

Mei Lien looked like she was ready to cry from having been woken up but Sakura immediately closed in her face onto her daughter's and made cooing sounds to which the little girl immediately started giggling.

"What do you say, Mei Lien? Do you wanna take a tour around the house with me?"

She started babbling incoherent words at this which Sakura took as a "yes" before she reentered the hallway and into another room which looked like a sitting room.

"This place has one master bedroom, two smaller bedrooms, a study room with a library, and two bathrooms upstairs," Syaoran informed as he followed them. "Downstairs has the the living room, sitting room, an office, dining room, kitchen, and pantry."

Sakura did a couple of turns around the sitting room before making her way into another room which led to the dining area.

"This place is quite huge. From the outside it didn't seem like it," she observed in awe at everything her eyes landed on. It was all very old English.

"It took a while to fully refurbish. There were a couple of things that needed fixing and replacing the first time I was here."

Her brows rose at this statement. "When did you ever come to England? You never told me."

"Last year when I went to see Fuutie at our Paris branch," Syaoran answered smoothly. "After my business trip, I decided to drop by on my way back to see things for myself."

"I see, well everything looks great n-" she cut off as a car's honking sounded from the outside.

The pair looked out the window to see a third car roll up behind the one the family of three had taken coming there and the one where their bodyguards, Mei Lien's nanny, and Lan had rode in with their luggage.

"That would be the rest of our things," Syaoran said before kissing Sakura and Mei Lien on their foreheads. "Go ahead and look around while I take care of things outside."

Sakura followed him out the dining area but went on to the second floor instead.

"You're going to love this place too Mei Lien, I do already and I haven't seen every corner of it yet. I can't wait to take you back here when you're older," she told her daughter in a soft voice as she slowly walked down the corridor after reaching the second floor landing and checking every room she passed. "Oh."

The last door at the end of the hallway led to the master bedroom. Everything in there was just like the entire house, styled in an old English fashion. This included two intricately designed frames what were currently hanging side by side on the wall across the large bed.

The one on the right was empty of anything. The one on the left framed a letter with her father's handwriting.

It was much shorter than his message to Sakura but its contents were just as wonderful that she couldn't help but smile.

_To Li Xiao Lang, my son-in-law,_

_Though I won't get the chance to personally meet you_

_I couldn't help but still be grateful to you for being in my daughter's life._

_Please take care of her as I have done so over the years_

_Cherish her and love her as the man whom she had given herself to would_

_I have faith that you could and would_

_You are, after all, the man she had chosen_

_Just because of that, in you I have my confidence._

_Also, for being there for her when I am not,_

_You have my sincerest and utmost gratitude._

_Being in the company of the woman you love and the family you will make with her_

_To be wrapped in happiness filled with love and contentment_

_It is your turn to experience that._

_I would have wished to have been able to entrust my daughter to you on your wedding day_

_But I couldn't_

_To see the look on your face as I pass onto you my greatest and most precious treasure_

_But I couldn't_

_This is why I will, instead, just say this to you now…_

_You have my blessing_

_I leave the rest to you._

– _Fujitaka Kinomoto –_

"Oh, you already found it."

Sakura turned just as Syaoran entered the room looking sheepish. He was holding on the scroll she had read and replaced into the jewelry box earlier.

"You want to hang it up here?" she asked, pointing at the empty frame.

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all," she said with a smile.

It will be a constant reminder for them of what they went through and it can also make a good story to tell their children was what Sakura thought and it was probably what Syaoran had in mind as well when he decided to put it up there.

Everything started from a tiny lie which had grown to what was Syaoran and Sakura's tale of love.

This was proof that nothing ever starts or continues on smoothly but just because of that, it doesn't mean that all hope of anything good is lost.

It hadn't been an easy journey to get where they are now.

But their feelings persevered and allowed them to hold strong through the consequences of the mistakes they made.

It was proven by Syaoran, Sakura, Tomoyo, Eriol, and even Fujitaka, that no one is perfect.

We all can't help but have slip-ups in our thoughts, our judgments, and our actions.

But it's fine.

They also proved that there are good sides to come regardless.

After all, people had lived on for years through trial and error.

It's normal for things to go wrong once in a while as long as you learn from it afterwards.

It may not be possible to undo the wrong that was done, but it is possible to fix them in one way or another.

Don't just ignore them or forget them.

Live life by…

…accepting faults.

…understanding errors.

…**Mending Mistakes**.

With that, even you can attain happiness.

* * *

_**- THE END -**_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

And... _Finito_!

Now I can leave FFN without any worries! Gahhh!

Don't get me wrong, I'm still writing and will continue to write. I'm just happy and relieved that I finally finished yet another story.

With that said, I hope you enjoyed **Mending Mistakes**. It has been a long (and questionable) journey but we somehow _finally_ came to the end.

I'll see you guys around in my future stories! I hope? :)

I'm currently in the middle of writing other stories so if you enjoyed this or any of my other previous stories, you can add me into your Favorite Authors or Author Alerts list so you can receive e-mail alerts whenever my account goes active for one reason or another in the future.

If you guys have any questions or comments about me or any of my stories that you absolutely must have me reply to because it's a life or death matter that I just have to address, don't hesitate to leave me private messages. If you just want to tell me all about your breakfast menu this morning, then you can also just leave me private message.

That's it more or less it.

Again, a big THANK YOU to each and everyone of you for your love and support for **Mending Mistakes**! I hope you enjoyed it from start to finish!

Now- as I always say -Ja ne!

**Raeny**

P.S. - At the moment, I'm trying my hand at _Cell Phone Novels_ (heard of it? It's all the rage in Japan apparently) and though the website/host(?) site I chose is an English one (and not as popular as I would have liked), I still uploaded a story there. Just to test it out. It's an entirely new writing experience for me.

It's nothing major, and definitely not much to talk about (at the moment) but if you guys are free and bored out of your mind, please check it out! It's a new (and I mean _very_ new, I just uploaded it today actually) and original story titled **"When Snowdrops Bloom..."** which can be found at TextNovel. A direct link to the story is in my profile!

P.P.S. - About my last and only ongoing story left, **Key to Happiness**... I'm not too sure if I'll be continuing that first or uploading an entirely new story. I'm really not feeling that story at the moment and I already have other CCS stories that I'm currently in the middle of writing and loving more. But if I do (somehow) decide to continue that, I'll probably rewrite and re-upload the current chapters while there are only four up at present. I'll see. For now, I really can't make any promises with regards to that story. It's still labeled as being on _hiatus_indefinitely. So to those of you asking me to continue it next... Sorry guys! Dx


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